Punjab CNF seizes 24.5 tonnes of narcotics in nine months

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jun, 2026) Punjab Counter Narcotics Force (CNF) Director General and Commander Brigadier Mazhar Iqbal said on Saturday that public participation had been formally integrated into anti-drug efforts for the first time in the province's history.

Presenting the Punjab Counter Narcotics Force's performance report on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse, he said the special force, launched in August 2025 under Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif's vision of a drug-free, healthy and safe Punjab, had so far prevented the supply of 24.5 tonnes of narcotics across the province.

Since becoming operational, the force has conducted more than 2,250 successful operations, seizing narcotics worth an estimated Rs 2.2 billion.

Brigadier Mazhar Iqbal said the force had also confiscated 26,700 litres of illegal liquor, more than 200 weapons, over 5,000 rounds of ammunition and 16 quadcopters during its ongoing crackdown on drug traffickers.

He said 440 cases had been registered against drug traffickers, resulting in the arrest of more than 750 suspects.

Trials had been completed in 13 cases, with a conviction rate of 75 per cent.

According to the DG, three convicted traffickers were sentenced to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment, two received 10-year prison terms, three were awarded nine-year sentences, while one offender was sentenced to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment.

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Brigadier Mazhar Iqbal said the Punjab CNF was focusing not only on curbing the supply of narcotics but also on reducing drug demand through public awareness initiatives highlighting the harmful effects of drug abuse on individuals and society.

He said that over the past nine months, the force had organised more than 250 interactive awareness seminars at educational institutions across Punjab. The seminars included student counselling sessions and encouraged voluntary participation in anti-drug campaigns.

The DG said a dedicated 1012 helpline had also been launched to enable citizens to report drug trafficking and drug use, assuring that the identities of informants would remain strictly confidential.

He added that within just nine months, the Punjab Counter Narcotics Force had expanded from its initial deployment across nine divisions to become operational in all districts of the province. Operations and awareness campaigns, he said, would continue uninterrupted to provide students and young people with a safe and drug-free environment.