Following Punjab Police’s crackdown on drug trafficking under the ongoing “War Against Drugs” campaign, the Pakistan-based drug mafia has started increasingly using college students, young people and women as couriers to evade suspicion and detection.A series of recent arrests in the border belt has brought the disturbing trend into sharp focus, with several young students allegedly being drawn into the illegal trade for quick money.In the latest case, on August 10, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) arrested three youths identified as Anmolpreet Singh (24), Anshpreet Singh (25) and Akash Singh (22) and recovered 30 kg of heroin which had been smuggled across the international border with the help of a drone. While Anshpreet was working as an assistant with a private architect in Ferozepur, Anmolpreet and Akash were students at ITI (Boys), Ferozepur.The case came barely weeks after another student was arrested with a large heroin consignment. On July 16, the ANTF arrested Jagsir Singh alias Lovi, 21, a resident of Badal Ke Uthar village in Fazilka district while carrying 12.10 kg of heroin near Mohan Ke village in the Guruharsahai area.Jagsir was pursuing a diploma in Electrical Engineering at a private polytechnic college in Alamgarh, Abohar. Following his arrest, he approached the court seeking permission to appear for his examination.The court accepted his plea, and the police team escorted him, handcuffed, to the examination centre in Abohar, where he took the examination under police surveillance.The emerging pattern, however, is not confined to students. Police investigations and recent seizures in the border districts also point to the increasing involvement of women and young people in narcotics trafficking.On May 19, police arrested Om alias Omi, 23, a resident of Leli Wala village in the Sadar area, and recovered 10.125 kg of heroin from his possession. In another case, two youths, Aniket Kumar, 22, and Sumit, 23, both residents of the city, were arrested with 2 kg of heroin and a Turkish-made .30-bore pistol.Likewise, more than 20 cases involving women allegedly acting as drug couriers have surfaced in the region in recent times. On July 3, Lakho Ke Behram police arrested Amandeep Kaur and allegedly recovered 2 gm heroin from her possession.On June 26, Sadar police arrested Seema with 4 grams of heroin. On June 18, police arrested Rani with 4 grams of heroin, while Veena was arrested on June 11 with 5 grams of heroin. Both Rani and Veena were residents of the city area.The issue had also drawn the attention of Punjab State Women Commission Chairperson Raj Lalli Gill during her visit to the border district last year, when she expressed concern over the growing use of women in drug trafficking.Senior police officials believe economic vulnerability, coupled with aspirations for a more affluent lifestyle, is making young people susceptible to recruitment by organised drug networks.“Every youngster has dreams, but not everyone is willing to work hard to achieve them. In many cases, they end up falling into the hands of such anti-social elements who exploit their aspirations and lure them with easy money but we are organising regular counseling sessions to prevent such instances,” said Snehdeep Sharma, DIG, Ferozepur Range.”The repeated involvement of students and women suggests that drug networks may be deliberately exploiting people who are less likely to attract suspicion during movement and routine checks. For security agencies battling a sophisticated cross-border supply chain, identifying and dismantling these recruitment networks could prove as important as intercepting the consignments themselves,” said another security official, on condition of anonymity.