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Army personnel, dismissed cop among six arrested for links to Pakistan-backed drug cartel in Punjab

February 22, 2026 6 min read Internal Security GS3
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What Happened

  • Faridkot Police (Punjab) busted a well-organised Pakistan-backed heroin trafficking network in an intelligence-led operation, arresting six individuals including a serving Indian Army soldier and a dismissed Punjab Armed Police (PAP) personnel.
  • The six arrested: Jarnail Singh alias Goldy (serving Army soldier, Ludhiana), Amardeep Singh alias Boxer (dismissed PAP cadre, Ferozepur), Dimple Rani, Ramandeep Kaur (both women), Sarabjit Singh alias Sabba, and Amritpal Singh alias Abhijot — the latter four from Moga district.
  • Recoveries: 4.8 kg heroin and one .30 bore pistol with three live cartridges.
  • The operation followed a 2-month-long jail-based interception and an intelligence-led surveillance operation. On the intervening night of February 20-21, a CIA (Crime Investigation Agency) Staff team intercepted a vehicle near Green Avenue, Faridkot, recovering 1.008 kg heroin and leading to the arrests.
  • Preliminary investigation revealed the accused were in direct contact with Pakistan-based handlers who used drones to push heroin consignments across the international border into Punjab.
  • A case was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Arms Act.

Static Topic Bridges

Drone-Based Drug Smuggling from Pakistan: A Systemic Threat

The use of drones to smuggle narcotics across the India-Pakistan border has emerged as one of the most significant and rapidly escalating threats to Punjab's internal security.

  • Drone sightings along the Punjab international border increased sharply: approximately 77 in 2020, 104 in 2021, and 311 in 2022.
  • In 2025 alone, the Border Security Force (BSF) seized 272 drones coming from Pakistan into Punjab and recovered over 367 kg of heroin from drone drops.
  • Drones are typically launched from Pakistani territory under cover of night, following pre-planned GPS coordinates to drop payloads of heroin, weapons, and ammunition into fields or designated pickup points in Punjab villages.
  • Chinese-manufactured commercial drones with payload capacity of 2-5 kg are most commonly used — available cheaply and operated remotely without crossing the physical border.
  • The Punjab and Haryana High Court flagged drone-based drug smuggling as a "grave threat to national security and public health" in a 2024 ruling, directing state authorities to strengthen border surveillance.
  • Pakistani drug smugglers operate through ISI-linked networks, using farmers and labourers near the border as receivers, with proceeds funding further terrorism.

Connection to this news: The Faridkot cartel's direct contact with Pakistan-based handlers using drones is consistent with the established pattern — the arrests reveal how distribution networks inland (extending to Moga and Ludhiana) are built around drone supply chains from the border.

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 is the primary legislation governing drug offences in India.

  • Enacted in 1985, the NDPS Act bans production, manufacture, possession, sale, purchase, transport, import, and export of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
  • The 1985 Act banned poppy cultivation in Punjab — historically a significant source of opium — forcing the drug economy underground and creating demand for imported heroin from the Golden Crescent (Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran).
  • Punishments under NDPS Act: For commercial quantity of heroin (more than 250 grams), the minimum punishment is 10 years rigorous imprisonment and minimum fine of Rs. 1 lakh; maximum is 20 years and Rs. 2 lakh.
  • Small quantity: maximum 6 months imprisonment or Rs. 10,000 fine. Intermediate quantity: 10 years imprisonment. Commercial quantity: 10-20 years.
  • Section 67 of NDPS Act allows officers to record statements — and unlike under CrPC, these are admissible as evidence in court.
  • The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is the apex federal body for coordination and intelligence under NDPS.

Connection to this news: The 4.8 kg heroin recovered constitutes "commercial quantity" under NDPS (threshold: 250 grams for heroin), meaning all arrested face a minimum of 10 years imprisonment with strict bail conditions.

Insider Threat: Security Personnel in Organized Crime

The involvement of a serving Army soldier and a dismissed police personnel in an organized drug cartel represents a serious insider threat to India's security architecture.

  • India's Army Act, 1950 provides for court martial proceedings for service personnel convicted of civilian criminal offences; a conviction for NDPS commercial quantity offences would result in dismissal from service and forfeiture of all service benefits.
  • The "insider threat" in drug networks operates at multiple levels: serving personnel provide information on patrol timings and security gaps; dismissed personnel provide operational knowledge and contacts built during service.
  • Punjab has a documented history of security force personnel linked to narcotics — the Punjab Police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) has investigated multiple such cases since 2017.
  • The broader pattern reflects a social-economic vulnerability: families of serving military and police personnel in border districts (Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Amritsar) face targeted recruitment by drug cartels offering cash for information or logistics support.
  • The Police Act, 1861 (applicable in Punjab) and the All India Service (Conduct) Rules, 1968 govern the conduct of police and IPS officers; violations involving criminal misconduct can result in disciplinary proceedings parallel to criminal prosecution.
  • Punjab's "Operation Sheikhchilli" (2021-onward) and "Operation Bluecrest" reflect systematic anti-drug drives, but the Faridkot case suggests networks adapt by embedding within legitimate security infrastructure.

Connection to this news: The 2-month jail-based interception that exposed the Faridkot network suggests intelligence was gathered partly through surveillance of communications between incarcerated drug convicts and their outside contacts — illustrating how cartels maintain operations even when leadership is imprisoned.

The Golden Crescent and Punjab's Drug Vulnerability

Punjab's geographic and demographic proximity to the Golden Crescent region makes it structurally vulnerable to heroin trafficking.

  • The Golden Crescent — comprising Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran — is the world's largest heroin-producing region. Afghanistan accounts for approximately 80-90% of global opium production (though Taliban crop eradication in 2022-2023 temporarily reduced yields).
  • Heroin smuggled from the Golden Crescent enters India primarily through three routes: (1) Attari-Wagah border crossing (concealed in goods), (2) drone drops across the international border in Punjab, and (3) the sea route via Gujarat ports.
  • Punjab shares a 553 km international border with Pakistan — the longest of any Indian state after Rajasthan.
  • BSF is the primary border-guarding force along the Punjab international border; its intelligence is shared with state police and the NCB.
  • Drug revenue is cycled back to fund weapons purchases and terror operations — the narco-terrorism nexus that makes Punjab drug cases simultaneously a law enforcement and national security issue.
  • The estimated annual retail value of heroin consumed in Punjab is in the thousands of crores of rupees — creating strong economic incentives for trafficking networks.

Connection to this news: The Pakistan-based handlers in the Faridkot case are part of the broader Golden Crescent supply chain, using drones to bypass BSF border surveillance and extend their distribution networks deep into Punjab's interior through trusted local contacts.

Key Facts & Data

  • Arrested: 6 individuals including 1 serving Army soldier (Jarnail Singh, Ludhiana) and 1 dismissed PAP personnel (Amardeep Singh, Ferozepur)
  • Recovery: 4.8 kg heroin + 1 pistol (.30 bore) + 3 live cartridges
  • Operation: Intelligence-led, 2-month jail-based interception; CIA Staff team, Faridkot Police
  • Interception location: Near Green Avenue, Faridkot (intervening night of Feb 20-21, 2026)
  • Method: Pakistan-based handlers using drones to push heroin across international border
  • Legal charges: NDPS Act (commercial quantity) + Arms Act
  • NDPS Act enacted: 1985; poppy cultivation banned in Punjab: 1985
  • NDPS commercial quantity for heroin: more than 250 grams; punishment: 10-20 years RI
  • BSF 2025 seizures in Punjab: 272 drones, 367+ kg heroin
  • Punjab international border with Pakistan: 553 km
  • Afghanistan's share of global opium production: 80-90%
  • Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB): under Ministry of Home Affairs
  • Army Act: 1950 (governs court martial proceedings for service personnel)