RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has busted a gang allegedly involved in smuggling of heroin from Afghanistan and Pakistan to Gulf countries. The gang leader, Aqal Khan, and three of his associates have been taken into custody.

Speaking at a press briefing at the ANF headquarters, ANF spokesman Lt-Col Ishtiaq Ahmed said that the force had taken action against the gang after a year-long investigation.

He said last year ANF received information about a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-based gang which was allegedly involved in the smuggling of heroin to West African and Middle East countries. After getting the mobile numbers used by this gang’s leader, Aqal Khan, an ANF team launched the investigation.

He said the year-long investigation provided valuable information about the Aqal Khan-led gang in Pakistan and its partners in Afghanistan and Africa. Four key associates of Aqal Khan in Pakistan were identified as Younas, Ijaz Khan, Haji Khyber and Haji Murad. The spokesman said the investigation had revealed that Aqal Khan was not only involved in heroin smuggling, but also allegedly run a Hawala network for the transaction of drug money.

He said Younas and his brother Luqman run a godown of T-iron, iron sheets and bamboos on the Ring Road in Peshawar. A truck driver, Sultan, allegedly supply heroin to Younas from Mazar Sharif in Afghanistan in the garb of coal.

The spokesman said Peshawar-based Ijaz Khan provided Hawala numbers and addresses in Middle East to Aqal Khan.

He said on April 21 the ANF received an Interpol Red Notice against Aqal Khan. An ANF team intensified its efforts to track down Aqal Khan and managed to place its sources to gather actionable intelligence.

He said after receiving information that Aqal Khan with his associates would shift drugs from Peshawar to Rawalpindi for their further transportation to Middle East, the ANF team a launched an operation. After continues surveillance for three days, ANF personnel identified a suspected car in Jhangi Syedan area of Rawalpindi on June 16.

During search ANF personnel found 10kg of heroin in the car. Four men travelling in the car, Aqal Khan, Younas, Mohammad Arshad and Ghilaf Gull, were arrested.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2015

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