Special Task Force Formed By Punjab Government Fights Drug Trafficking By Prevention, De-addiction and Enforcement

Punjab is home to the highest number of heroin addicts in the country. It also has a very high number of users of synthetic drugs, other opium derivates and alcohol. This situation has risen over the past few years before which the culture of Punjab was synonymous with hard work and healthy lifestyles. In the past 10 years, however, Punjab has been gripped by an insidious undercurrent of rampant drug abuse, with narcotics making its way through the international border of Punjab, and also from other state borders, as Punjab's appetite has continually grown.

To fight this problem, in April 2017, Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amrinder Singh issued an order for the formation of a Special Task Force or STF, to be the mastermind behind building a sustainable strategy against drug abuse.

Upon inception of the STF, the CM himself chose IPS officer Harpreet Sidhu as the ADGP (Additional director general of police) STF, who was at that time on central deputation in the Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh. However, in September 2018, in a rather awkward reshuffle, he was removed from the position to be ultimately brought back as the STF chief in July 2019. 2018 was also the time when deaths from drug abuse in Punjab saw a spike from 2017.  

Today, the STF is making unprecedented progress in fighting drug abuse while understanding that it is a long fight. At the core of its fundamentals is a sustained comprehensive approach to the problem. The STF works on a three-point model: Prevention, De-addiction and Enforcement.

As drug abuse cannot be fought without bringing down demand, the STF under the government's CADA (Comprehensive action against drug abuse) program, has introduced a number of platforms for raising awareness against drugs and as well as helping addicts become free of the illness.

By normalising the conversation around drug abuse, through the Buddy and DAPO (Drug Abuse Prevention Official) program and by providing outpatient facilities to addicts at OPATS (Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment) clinics, among other programs, the STF is making headway against drug abuse. Today, more than 40 lakh students and teachers have become part of the buddy program and more than 5 lakh registered volunteers are impacting communities' everyday through DAPO. More than lakh patients are registered with the OATS clinics and are receiving regular treatment.

Along with cutting demand, the STF has also been working towards more effective law enforcement against drug trafficking since 2017. An STF official said,

We are not a very big team, and I would say everyone in STF, from the IGs to constables, they have all contributed greatly to fight the problem of drug trafficking in Punjab.

By making comprehensive use of various acts and relevant laws against drug trafficking, the STF is investigating the entire chain of traffickers and suppliers in Punjab, from the point of origin, the supply and transit routes till the point of consumption. By working on all backward and forward linkages, it hopes to break the strong nexus of traffickers in Punjab and also help transnational investigations when necessary.

In fact, so far, the STF has the highest rate of conviction in filed cases related to drug trafficking in Punjab, at 100 per cent.  Over 36000 cases have been registered under the NDPS act by the STF and more than 45000 people have been arrested. The combined efforts of the Punjab Police and STF have also resulted in 1931 Gangsters, out of which 12 were of the Category A.

As part of the Zero tolerance policy, not just against drug traffickers but also police officials and politicians that play any part in supporting the drug trafficking nexus, over 100 police personnel were arrested for abetting activities related to drug abuse, including a DSP and an ASI.

Also, just in three years, more than 1300 Kgs of Heroin has been confiscated in Punjab and 50 properties of drug dealers valued at Rs. 38 Crore has either for closed or for seized. Also, recently, the STF Border Zone cracked a massive nexus of heroin smugglers in Amritsar and recovered 197 Kgs of Heroin from a factory. DSP said,

This is the first time that a case has been cracked from all ends, we have busted not only the criminals but the whole nexus including the kingpin, this is the first time in Punjab.