rug peddlers seem to have found a new, ‘smart’ way to get around — via drones. Recently, a large drone carrying 6 kilogrammes of heroin crashed in an open field in Halloki, an area close to the Indian border.

The drone was recovered from Rasoolpura village in Kahna. The dwellers of the area were the first to spot the drone and inform the police which reached the spot along with the Rangers considering the sensitivity of the issue. The police seized the drone and drugs before handing these over to the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) for further investigation. Till the filing of this story, investigation into where the drone had been operated from and its destination was continuing.

Earlier, a similar incident had happened in Narowal, in which the police arrested five people allegedly involved in cross-border smuggling of heroin using drones. Interestingly, it has not yet been established whether it was part of a terrorist activity or not.

Here, it may be relevant to understand that there are no specific laws on use of drones for smuggling/ drug peddling. Also, when it comes to dealing with easy availability of banned substances such as marijuana, heroin, and crystal methamphetamine, the police seem to lack control.

Speaking to TNS, SP Aftab Phularwan says that the Kahna incident isn’t the first of its kind. He says he does not find it surprising that drug peddlers are making use of the drone technology: “They obviously think drones are safer compared to the conventional means. You can operate a drone from a distance and thus hope to escape arrest and avoid encounter with the law-enforcement agencies. But that’s not the deal.”

“They obviously think drones are safer compared to the conventional transport. You can operate a drone from some distance and thus hope to escape arrest and avoid encounter with the law-enforcement agencies. But that’s not the deal, ” says SP Aftab Phularwan.

Phularwan says that the money earned through the illegal trade is transferred to Dubai. It later reaches the drug dealers through hundi/ hawala (non-formal money transfer).

He attributes the rise in such incidents to the absence of specific laws. “The drone is not an expensive proposition; anyone can purchase it for something between Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000,” he adds. “There must be some law in place to regulate and check this easy access to drones.”

Model Town SP (Investigation) Shahid Rafique differs with Phularwan. He says, “Drones are being used by drug dealers just as they would use four-wheelers for smuggling. That does not mean that you should ban the four-wheelers.”

About the investigation in the Kahna incident, he says that the police have nothing to do with it, as the matter has been handed over to the ANF. “We don’t know if anyone has been apprehended or not.”

ANF Joint Director Ehsanul Haq says, “We are duty-bound to act against drug peddling. The ANF is not oblivious to the use of new technologies such as drones in drug trade. We will soon have a policy on that.”

He says that the investigation in the Kahna drone incident is “making progress. The culprits will soon be in a lock-up.”

The writer is a print and broadcast journalist