Punjab Police has arrested a Nigerian drug smuggler with two kilograms of heroin worth Rs. 1.8 crore...

The Punjab Police has arrested a Nigerian drug smuggler with two kilograms of heroin worth Rs. 1.8 crore, to further tighten the noose against foreign nationals, especially Africans, engaged in smuggling of narcotics. Police described Frank Margin, 27, as a big fish, who was in touch with several Afghan nationals in Delhi and Afghanistan for supply of contraband to drug smugglers in the national capital and Punjab.

Currently residing in Delhi, Frank headed a gang of drug smugglers, who were all African nationals, said SSP Rupnagar, Swapan Sharma, adding that the police were now on the trail of other members of the gang. Investigations had revealed that Frank was in regular touch with more than 25 drug peddlers in various districts of Punjab, and had, in the July alone, sold nearly 3.5 Kgs of heroin and 60 gms of ICE in the state.

Sharma said the police investigations were now focused on cracking the modus operandi of the gang headed by Frank, whose main area of operation recently had been in Chander Vihara, Uttam Nagar and Dwarka areas of Delhi. Amid reports of foreign nationals indulging in large-scale smuggling of drugs, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had issued strict directives to the police to trace and nab all such foreigners.

The issue had also been discussed yesterday at the regional conference of chief ministers to draw up a joint strategy against drugs for the northern states. While Haryana was in favour of verification of foreign students before grant of study visa, Uttarakhand had noted during the meeting that schools in the Doon were hesitant about taking in foreign students due to the increasing number of cases of involvement of such students in drugs.

Data available with Punjab police shows that in 2017, as many as 39 cases had been registered against foreigners under NDPS Act, with 50 Africans arrested in these cases. Of these, as many as 42 were Nigerian. A total of 6.38 kg of heroin had been seized from the suspects in these cases. In 2018, 20 cases have so far been registered, with arrest of 24 Africans, including 42 Nigerians, with total seizure of 21.55 kg of heroin and 06 kg of opium.