Chandigarh, March 9 The AAP government has launched a comprehensive campaign against the drug trade through strict enforcement, community involvement, and preventive education, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Monday.
The Punjab Police have registered 36,178 FIRs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and arrested 47,902 accused, Cheema said during the ongoing Budget Session of the state Assembly here.
Responding to a question from Payal MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura regarding the Punjab government's action against drug trafficking, Cheema highlighted the "success" of the one-year 'Yudh Nashean Virudh' (War against Drugs) campaign.
"From March 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026, the AAP government launched a comprehensive campaign against the drug trade through strict enforcement, community involvement, and preventive education," he said.
Detailing that the AAP government is targeting the entire supply chain, he said, "A total of 3,173 drug suppliers and distributors, and 429 major smugglers who were involved in this illicit trade, have also been arrested."
The Punjab Police have seized 2,276 kilograms of heroin, 29 tonnes of poppy husk, 686 kilograms of opium, and 786 kilograms of marijuana. In addition, 68 kilograms of charas, four kilograms of cocaine, 36 kilograms of ICE, and over 49 lakh illicit pills and capsules have also been recovered, Cheema said.
The Punjab Police have also recovered 285 drones and confiscated 338 kilograms of heroin that was being transported through these illegal drones, thereby cutting off a major supply route, he said.
Speaking about financial action against drug networks, the finance minister said, "We are targeting these cartels where it hurts them most – their finances. The Punjab Police have recovered Rs 17 crore in cash."
Emphasizing the importance of convictions in ensuring long-term deterrence, he said, "Out of the 6,822 decided cases, 6,083 resulted in convictions. This 89 per cent conviction rate is the highest in the country and has been made possible through modernization efforts such as digital evidence collection and rigorous financial tracking."
The police have also arrested 47 proclaimed offenders, 636 absconders, 83 individuals who skipped bail, and eight individuals who misused parole under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, he said.
The Punjab government will not allow drug money to be used to build mansions. A total of 323 illegally constructed properties belonging to drug smugglers have been demolished, and illegally acquired assets worth Rs 241 crore belonging to 569 drug smugglers have been frozen, he said.