Railways police bust drug, arms smuggling network

LAHORE:

Following intensified surveillance on highways and motorways, drug and arms smugglers shifted their operations to railway routes, but Pakistan Railways Police claim to have thwarted the move through coordinated and timely crackdowns over the past year.

According to official data obtained by Express News, Railways Police registered 68 cases related to illegal arms smuggling during the last 13 months and arrested 72 suspects.

Seized weapons included 1,979 bullets, one Kalashnikov, four rifles, 82 pistols, 89 magazines, four knives and a cutter.

In parallel operations against narcotics trafficking via trains, police registered 218 cases and arrested 231 individuals.

The recovered drugs included 1.47 kilogrammes of opium, 69kg of hashish, 3.33kg of heroin, 408 kilograms of cannabis, 2.61kg of ice (crystal meth), and 167 bottles of liquor.

Officials estimate the total value of the seized narcotics and weapons runs into billions of rupees.

Authorities said smugglers attempted to exploit perceived gaps in passenger screening, at times using women and children to transport contraband, assuming they would face less scrutiny during travel.