PESHAWAR, May 22: A village on the outskirts of the city has become a haven for drug smugglers where not only the local addicts but also those of the surrounding areas come without any fear of the local police.

A gang of notorious drug smugglers has established a network of hashish carriers on Choha Gujjar Road in Hazarkhwani, and has been running its illegal business with the connivance of the local police, the area people told Dawn here on Wednesday.

The gang has been active for some years, and making a regular supply of hashish to the urban areas. “The gang sells hashish of the value of Rs35,000 on a daily basis,” they added.

The area people claimed that the illegal business started a decade ago by the father of one of the key members of the smugglers’ gang, and the menace flourished in the area with the connivance of the police as the latter received their share from the illicit trade.

Though the ringleader was killed in an encounter with the Gulbahar police, headed by the then DSP Nasirul Mulk Bangash, the gang continued its business all the same.

Some nearby villages and parts of Hazarkhwani are the worst hit owing to easy availability of hashish. The youths are falling prey to drugs as a result, they said.

Teenagers of the village and nearby urban areas, especially schoolchildren, were exposed to the danger, the area people said.

They said the gang was also involved in fake currency business and house robberies.

They demanded of the police high-ups to put a stop to the drug smuggling, and save the youths of the area from getting hooked on drugs.

“Yes, we know about the illegal activities of the gang and we will launch a crackdown against the criminals in the area shortly,” Deputy Superintendent of Police, Chamkani police station, Nisar Marwat told Dawn on Thursday.