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LAHORE, Dec 10 (APP):The Punjab Excise, Taxation & Anti-Narcotics Department and the Counter Narcotics Force (CNF) Punjab on Wednesday presented a detailed briefing on the province-wide crackdown against narcotics, highlighting significant progress made over the past four months.
Addressing a joint press conference, Secretary Excise, Taxation & Anti-Narcotics Punjab, Masood Mukhtar, and Director General CNF Punjab, Mazhar Iqbal, said that CNF Punjab conducted 280 operations during the last four months, seizing nearly 14 tons of narcotics, registering 168 FIRs and arresting several high-risk criminals involved in drug trafficking.
Secretary Masood Mukhtar said that, for the first time, swift and stringent legal action has resulted in 14-year sentences for drug traffickers, marking a major milestone in the province’s anti-narcotics efforts. He said effective implementation of the Punjab Control of Narcotics Substance Act 2025 was underway, adding that the establishment of CNF Punjab was an essential step to counter the rising use of drugs, particularly locally produced ice.
He said district-level CNF offices were now being established following completion of divisional offices, which would help strengthen monitoring of internal routes and curb inter-provincial smuggling. He clarified that CNF and ANF were working with separate mandates, while joint operations were conducted whenever required. He thanked Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif for recognising the gravity of the issue and providing full support for the establishment of the force.
DG CNF Punjab Mazhar Iqbal said the force was conducting intelligence-based operations and that special narcotics courts had been set up across the province to ensure transparent proceedings. He said awareness sessions were being held in colleges and universities and public cooperation was being encouraged through a dedicated helpline, assuring that the identity of informants was kept confidential. He added that parliamentarians were also being engaged for awareness and preventive initiatives.
Highlighting recent trends, he said that ice usage had reached alarming levels in Lahore and Rawalpindi, with over 105 kilograms recovered from Lahore, Rawalpindi and Dera Ghazi Khan alone. Major networks operating in South Punjab and Sindh had also been dismantled. The total value of narcotics seized in the past four months exceeded Rs 375 million, while weapons were also recovered during several operations, he added.
He said the misuse of courier services for drug trafficking had been detected, and coordination with relevant authorities was underway to curb the practice. He reiterated that the entire process, from operations to prosecution, was being carried out with full transparency and that no leniency would be shown if any government personnel were found involved.
Regarding operations in educational institutions, the DG clarified that measures were focused on preventing drug distribution outside campuses and were being carried out in coordination with college and university administrations.
Both officials concluded that a drug-free Punjab could only be achieved through close cooperation among all relevant provincial and federal institutions to ensure effective protection from narcotics.