Young men battling drug addiction and economic hardship are emerging as potential recruits for cross-border networks operating along Punjab’s border with Pakistan, where handlers are allegedly exploiting their vulnerabilities to facilitate smuggling, deliver weapons and carry out targeted attacks.Rather than necessarily relying on ideological radicalisation, these networks can allegedly lure vulnerable youth with promises of easy money and access to drugs, using addiction and financial distress to draw them into criminal activities.Three recent cases in Amritsar have brought this troubling intersection of drug addiction, economic hardship and alleged cross-border links into sharp focus. Though the cases differ, police investigations point to concerns about the exploitation of vulnerable young men by Pakistan-based handlers.Deepak Singh of Mulechak village, one of the suspects in the killing of Assistant Sub-Inspector Harjit Singh, was allegedly struggling with drug addiction and was lured into the crime with promises of drugs and easy money, according to the police. Investigators also claimed that he had links with Pakistan-based handlers. He was later killed in an exchange of fire with the police.Deepak’s father, a daily-wage worker, confirmed that his son was addicted to drugs and said the family had been facing financial difficulties. Their house had been mortgaged for the past three years.In another case, a 24-year-old welder, also named Deepak Singh, from Rorawala Khurd village, was arrested in connection with an alleged cross-border drug and arms smuggling network. The village lies barely 500 metres from the international border with Pakistan. The police recovered 15 pistols and 5 kg of heroin linked to the network. The young man was also reportedly addicted to drugs.His village’s proximity to the border may have made him a useful link for handlers seeking to move drugs and weapons across the frontier, although the precise nature of his alleged role remains a matter for investigation.The third case concerns the shooting of Assistant Sub-Inspector Jaswant Singh. The prime accused, who was killed in a police encounter, also brought the issue of vulnerable youth and alleged criminal networks into focus.Together, the cases raise a larger security question: are young men struggling with addiction and poverty becoming an easily exploitable pool of recruits for handlers operating across the border?According to the police, vulnerable youth have been used to collect consignments dropped by drones, transport narcotics and weapons, and, increasingly over the past year, allegedly carry out more serious crimes, including targeted attacks.While handlers can operate from a distance, including from foreign shores, the recruits tasked with carrying out activities on the ground face the immediate risks of arrest, injury or death.A senior police official said Punjab had witnessed a spurt in targeted attacks, including grenade attacks on police establishments. In many of the cases, those allegedly involved had a history of substance abuse, the official said. Punjab has witnessed nearly 30 such attacks, particularly in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts.Inspector General of Police, Border Range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said drug dependence could leave individuals particularly vulnerable to exploitation.“When withdrawal symptoms appear, they become unbearable for people struggling with addiction. In that condition, a person may be ready to do anything, and this vulnerability is exploited by Pakistan-based state and non-state actors,” he said, adding that the Punjab Police and other agencies were fighting forces operating from within and beyond the country.The challenge, therefore, extends beyond intercepting drones and recovering consignments of heroin and weapons. Security agencies must also contend with the human links that allow cross-border networks to operate on the ground.Punjab’s drug problem has traditionally been viewed through the lenses of public health and law and order. The recent cases suggest that, in the border districts, it also has a significant security dimension.Identifying vulnerable young people and helping them overcome addiction could be as important as tracking the handlers seeking to exploit them. Every young person steered away from substance abuse and criminal networks is one less potential courier, smuggler or shooter.Recovering a pistol or intercepting a consignment of heroin may disrupt a network temporarily. But unless the vulnerabilities that make young men susceptible to recruitment are addressed, cross-border handlers may continue searching for the next recruit.