The arrest of a drug peddler, who himself is a teetotaller, and the seizure of 3.5 kg drugs and cash from him have opened a Pandora’s box with the police now believing that the peddler was single-handedly running the smack trade across many districts of the state. He was routing drugs to various districts of the state through some “fixed conduits”.The arrest of Onkar Singh of Kurukshetra (Haryana) by the Patiala police is believed to be a significant breakthrough. “He sold smack to his close aides, who then sold it in other parts of the state,” said SSP Nanak Singh. “He is being questioned to ascertain from whom he procured the drug,” he added.Onkar Singh, who hails from Kurukshetra in Haryana, shifted base to Patiala a few years ago. He sold smack only to his close aides, who then sold it in other parts of the state. He is being questioned to ascertain from whom he procured the drug. Nanak Singh, SSPActing on a tip-off, sleuths of the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Fazilka police station, arrested two alleged drug peddlers on Those arrested were identified as Ajit Singh of Mandi Hazoor Singh and Jagsir Singh of Ram Nagar (Jattwali village) in Fazilka districtSources said the suspects were waiting for a customer to hand over a consignment along the Lalowali railway crossing near the Fazilka-Ferozepur highway, when the police arrested them Two packets of heroin weighing 1 kg were seized from their possession and a case under the NDPS Act registered against the suspectsAccording to the police, Onkar was booked in connection with a drug case in Haryana in 2021, but he had been evading arrest in that case. He shifted his base to Patiala a few years ago, from where he had been supplying smack to various districts of Punjab.Sources say he would enter into deals with only his trusted aides and they would directly call him and then collect the contraband.College and university students were their primary targets. Instead of directly supplying drugs to consumers in the market, Onkar would only deal with select suppliers,” they said.The Patiala SSP said they had identified over 10 persons who procured smack from Onkar Singh and then supplied that to other districts. “He had fixed the areas of their operation so that there was no dispute among them. Onkar operated from rented accommodation,” he added.Onkar was arrested by a police team headed by Civil Lines police station SHO Amritveer Singh at a naka. Travelling in a car, he tried to escape, but was caught by the police team. The search of his car led to the seizure of contraband, besides Rs 6.5 lakh in cash.We are investigating his cartel as smack seizures are usually in only a few grams. This is perhaps one of the biggest hauls in Punjab in recent times,” said Amritveer Singh.
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