As Punjab battles cross-border drug smuggling and widespread substance abuse, a panchayat representative from the Attari border belt in Amritsar has alleged that he and one of his supporters were attacked by associates of peddlers whose activities he had been openly exposing as part of his anti-drug campaign.Harpreet Singh, the sarpanch of Attari village, claimed it was the third attempt on his life by those involved in the illegal drug trade.Since January, various agencies, including the Amritsar (City) police, Amritsar (Rural) police, Counter Intelligence and the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), have seized 426 kg of heroin and 17 kg of ICE smuggled from Pakistan in Amritsar district.Talking to The Tribune, Harpreet alleged that he had lost faith in the police and the district administration as no concrete action had been taken on the complaints he lodged following the previous two attempts on his life.In a video uploaded on his Instagram account, the sarpanch named several persons allegedly involved in the open sale of drugs and their smuggling from Pakistan.“I am being targeted because I have long been raising my voice against drug abuse and the open sale of narcotics in the village. Despite their threats, I will continue my efforts to prevent youngsters from falling prey to substance abuse,” he said.Amritsar (Rural) SSP Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal, however, said he was unaware of the video and the allegations. He said the sarpanch had never met him earlier and that he would examine the video before taking appropriate action. “There is zero tolerance towards drug smuggling and substance abuse. Anyone found involved in the illegal trade will be taken to task,” the SSP said.Harpreet alleged that drug abuse had already claimed several lives in the village and that “despite repeatedly flagging the issue, effective action had not been taken against those involved”.The gravity of the drug menace in Punjab’s border belts can be gauged from the figures released by the state government as part of its ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’ campaign against drugs. Over 4,000 drug peddlers were arrested and 71,919 suspects detained since the launch of the campaign on March 1, 2025, and until July 29. As many as 54,687 FIRs were registered under the NDPS Act.In the border districts, the police have recovered 483 drones carrying 755 kg of heroin, highlighting the growing use of unmanned aerial routes to move narcotics across the border.The authorities have also identified 648 alleged “big fish”, targeting the higher rungs of drug networks. The seizures include 3,448 kg of heroin, 61 kg of ICE, 42 tonnes of poppy husk, 871 kg of opium, 1,180 kg of ganja, 93 kg of charas and 5 kg of cocaine, besides nearly 59 lakh intoxicant tablets and pills.