In an operation carried out by the sleuths of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), Ferozepur Range, a college student was arrested with a 12.10 kg heroin consignment. The narcotics had allegedly been received from across the border through a Kasur (Pakistan)-based drug trafficking network.While divulging the details, Gurinderbir Singh, SP, ANTF, said that acting on specific intelligence inputs, an operation was carried out by DSP Prithipal Singh and Sub-Inspector Hardev Singh. During the operation, the accused, identified as Jagsir Singh alias Lovi (21), a resident of Badal Ke Uthar village in the Amir Khas area of Fazilka district, was arrested near Mohan Ke village in the Guruharsahai subdivision of Ferozepur district.The SP said that the accused was pursuing a diploma in civil engineering at a private college in Muktsar. He allegedly fell into the drug smuggling racket due to bad company and the lure of making quick money, and had been working as a drug peddler.The SP said that the preliminary investigation revealed that the accused functioned as a “second-line courier” in the drug trafficking chain.“The accused did not directly receive narcotics and arms dropped by drones from across the border. Instead, he used to collect consignments from intermediaries who retrieved the packets after drone drops and then arranged their further transportation and distribution,” the SP said. He added that, before his arrest, the accused had received and cleared consignments of drugs and sophisticated firearms a few days earlier.“On July 13, he had received a consignment of over 5.5 kg of heroin, and before that, on July 11, he had received five pistols from across the border for further supply,” the SP said.The SP said the smuggling network was operated through a sophisticated digital system involving pre-designated dead-drop locations, GPS coordination and encrypted communication platforms.“The accused used to receive the exact location details from a Pakistan-based handler known as ‘Chacha’, believed to be operating from Kasur and suspected of running a major cross-border narcotics network,” the SP said.“The entire operation was coordinated through WhatsApp and other digital channels. The seized consignment was reportedly meant for delivery to a local recipient who was operating using an overseas virtual WhatsApp number,” the SP added.“The ANTF has seized the accused’s mobile phone and launched a detailed digital forensic examination to trace both the forward and backward links of the network,” SP Gurinderbir Singh said.