The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) shot down a Pakistani drone attempting to enter Punjab with a package of narcotics on Friday at 2:30 a.m.
Overview
BSF said that the drone was carrying three kilograms of suspected heroin. The drone and contraband were recovered between India’s border fence and the zero line of the India-Pakistan international border.
BSF officials further highlighted that the drone had Chinese labels, which were translated into broken English. The device was likely assembled locally.
During night intervening 2/3 Feb 2023, alert troops of @BSF_Punjab deployed on IB in Sector Amritsar (Punjab) shot down a Quadcopter originating from Pak side, & recovered it between border fence & zero line along with a packet of contraband.#JaiHind pic.twitter.com/7KASS2iH7C
— BSF (@BSF_India) February 3, 2023
Recent Cross-border Drug Trafficking
According to The Tribune, this is the third cross-border smuggling incident in Punjab over the past two days.
On 1 February, border security officials confiscated 2.6 kilograms of heroin that was dropped along the border in Fazilka. Similar to Friday’s incident, BSF officials shot down a drone and recovered three packets of narcotics.
Further, on 31 January, security personnel recovered three packets containing 1.7 kilograms of heroin in Ferozepur.
The shot down quad-copter along with contraband item suspected to be heroin has been recovered between International Boundary and Border Fence. pic.twitter.com/01bwkKVzu6
— BSF (@BSF_India) February 3, 2023
Meanwhile, the BSF says it shot down six drones, with one carrying 30 kilograms of heroin, attempting to enter Punjab from Pakistan in November alone.
In January, ANI reported that BSF personnel heard something being thrown across the border fence onto the Indian side near Wan village in the Tarn Taran district. While the troops shot at the smugglers, they narrowly escaped. However, they recovered five bottles containing 2.5 kilograms of heroin.
Role of Pakistani and Indian Officials
The Indian government and authorities in Punjab have often blamed Pakistan for the issue. BSF director-general Pankaj Singh said in November that the number of drones transgressions from Pakistan doubled between 2021 and 2022.
Similarly, Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav blamed Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence for sending drugs and weapons across the border to dismantle the region’s “hard earned peace.”
Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit says that drugs have permeated into schools too, Punjab Public Relations minister Aman Arora accuses Purohit of running a parallel government. pic.twitter.com/HQbrNPSdj2
— Harpreet Singh Bajwa (@Harpreet_TNIE) February 3, 2023
In September, Punjab’s Governor Banwarilal Purohit said that Islamabad was using cross-border smuggling to destabilise India. He urged security personnel to keep an eye out for drones carrying contraband.
He added that locals and police officials were facilitating drug smuggling across the border.
Concerningly, in January, the Punjab police conducted joint operations with the BSF in Pathankot. They arrested an Indian Army personnel and his aide, who were in possession of 29 packets containing 31 kilograms of heroin.