Punjab Police claimed to have dismantled a sophisticated international drug cartel backed by Pakistan-based smugglers. The crackdown resulted in the arrest of six high-profile smugglers, including two women, and the seizure of 4.804 kg of high-grade heroin along with an illegal weapon and luxury vehicles, said SSP Faridkot Dr Pragya Jail.The SSP said the breakthrough occurred on the intervening night of February 20-21 when a specialised CIA Staff team, led by DSP Tarlochan Singh, intercepted a suspicious Mahindra Thar parked near Green Avenue. Upon a thorough search of the vehicle, police recovered 1.008 kg of heroin and Rs 30,000 in drug money hidden in a kit bag.Four individuals—Ramandeep Kaur, Sarabjit Singh alias Sabba, Amritpal Singh alias Abhijot (all from Moga), and Jarnail Singh alias Goldy (from Ludhiana)—were taken into custody on the spot.​During the preliminary interrogation, the arrested suspects revealed that the contraband had been supplied by Amardeep Singh alias Boxer, a resident of Ferozepur, in exchange for a payment of Rs 2.60 lakh. Acting swiftly on this lead, police teams tracked down Boxer’s XUV-500. Boxer was apprehended alongside an associate, Dimple Rani. A subsequent search of their vehicle led to the massive recovery of an additional 3.796 kg of heroin (divided into five packets), a .30 bore pistol, and three live cartridges.​The investigation has highlighted a disturbing trend of cross-border narco-terrorism. According to SSP Dr Pragya Jain, the accused were in direct contact with Pakistan-based handlers who smuggled the heroin into Indian territory using drones.​​Amardeep Singh (Boxer), the alleged mastermind is a dismissed employee of the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) cadre. He is a habitual offender with nine previous FIRs registered against him across Punjab and Haryana for drug trafficking and firearms violations. ​Jarnail Singh (Goldy), one of the key associates is currently serving in the Indian Army, illustrating the cartel’s attempt to use “clean” profiles to bypass security checks, said SSP.​The Faridkot Police have registered a case at Police Station City Faridkot under Sections 21(c) and 27A of the NDPS Act. All six accused were produced before a local court, which granted police remand for further interrogation.​”We are not just looking at these six individuals; we are digging deep into the backward and forward linkages,” stated SSP Jain. “The investigation has already pointed toward a jail-based network through which these operations were being coordinated. Our teams, including the Technical Cell and CIA Staff, are working to identify every single associate linked to this Pakistan-backed supply chain.”​The police have also seized the Thar and XUV-500 vehicles used in the smuggling operations.