330 drug peddlers arrested in Lahore

LAHORE: Continuing the crackdown against drug peddlers operating in the vicinity of educational institutions, Lahore police have arrested as many as 330 accused during the past nine days. In compliance with the instructions issued by Lahore Inspector General of Police Arif Nawaz Khan, all divisional SPs have been told to accelerate the crackdown against drug peddlers outside educational institutions. In this regard, City division police registered 64 cases, Cantt division registered 67, Civil Lines division registered 23, Sadar division registered 92, Iqbal division registered 32 and Model Town division registered 39 cases. Officials also seized at least 94 kilogrammes of hashish, 505 grammes of heroin and 2,240 litres of liquor from the accused. Lahore DIG Operations stated that the force has been implementing a zero tolerance policy against criminals, particularly drug peddlers targeting the youth. Lahore police have also arranged awareness campaigns and lectures at different educational institutions across the provincial capital to inform students about the fatal effects of using drugs. He maintained that the basic purpose of delivering awareness lectures is to make students and teachers aware of their basic responsibilities. Citizens should cooperate with Lahore police to eliminate the menace of narcotics from society, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2019.