Peshawar excise seizes 960kg narcotics in largest bureau recovery

PESHAWAR: The Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department on Monday seized 960 kilograms of narcotics in Peshawar, including 720kg of hashish and 240kg of opium. The department described the recovery as the largest single seizure in the history of its Excise Intelligence Bureau.

According to an official statement, the narcotics were recovered from a Toyota Revo with Sindh registration plates, number SB-5069. Three special teams led by Provincial Incharge Aqif Nawaz Khan launched the operation after receiving information about the suspected vehicle.

The teams set up a blockade near Jahaz Chowk. When the driver attempted to evade interception, the teams pursued the vehicle and stopped it near Ring Road. The suspect then allegedly opened fire on the Excise personnel and resisted arrest before fleeing on foot under cover of darkness, according to the statement.

The statement did not name the suspect. It also did not say whether any Excise personnel were injured. A case has been registered at the Excise Police Station in Peshawar, and further investigation is underway to trace and arrest the fleeing suspect and his alleged accomplices.

Excise Minister Syed Fakhar Jahan called the seizure a major achievement. He said operations against drug trafficking would continue on the basis of intelligence, and that the department would maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards narcotics. He added that protecting the younger generation from drugs was a priority and that operations would continue across the province.

The seizure came weeks after Karachi Task Force and a federal agency arrested eight members of a drug ring and recovered over 50 kilograms of ice in an operation in Korangi Industrial Area, ARY News reported. Police said the arrested suspects included the ring's alleged mastermind Nazir Soomro, godown manager Shahid Mastoi, and Shaikh Khalid, who allegedly provided a place for narcotics and a bank account for transactions. Two Afghan nationals, Noor Khan and Gran Khan, were also arrested and accused of ensuring supply of the drug from Balochistan, ARY News reported.