PESHAWAR: Special judge (control of narcotics) Pir Buksh Shah on Monday granted bail to four suspected drug smugglers.

The four, including container-truck drivers Arif Shah, Aziz Mohammad and Taj Mohammad and cleaner Jan Mohammad, were arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force for seizing sulfuric acid claiming the chemical was to be used to make heroin.

While granting bail, the judge ordered their release after they filed two surety bonds each valuing Rs300,000.

According to the ANF, on a tip-off that some people would smuggle sulfuric acid by Jamrud Road, its personnel cordoned off the artery near Karkhano Bazaar on Aug 8.

The ANF personnel stopped a container-truck and seized 50,400kg sulfuric acid during search before taking the four men into custody.

An FIR was later registered against the arrested men under Section 9-C of the Control of Narcotics Substance Act.

Lawyer Noor Alam Khan defended the bail pleas of the suspects.

He said Arif Shah was owner of Usman Traders dealing in chemicals and that under Rule 6 of the Control of Narcotics Regulations of Drug Abuse Control Chemicals, Equipment and Material Rules 2001, the Narcotics Control Division had issued licence to the firm allowing it to possess the quota of sulfuric acid up to 120 metric tonnes every year.

The lawyer said under the licence, the firm was also allowed to sell the acid up to 10 metric tonnes per year to smalltime consumers.

He said the said acid was mostly used in batteries.

The lawyer said the ANF personnel had taken away the container-truck from outside the offices of the firm near Haji Camp and when the four suspects went to the ANF offices along with the relevant documents, they were taken into custody.

He said the ANF didn’t even send the seized acid to the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for laboratory test to know if the acid could be used to make heroin.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd , 2014