ISLAMABAD: A targeted operation jointly conducted by the police and the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in different parts of the capital resulted in the arrest of 58 alleged drug peddlers, including 23 from Doray and Athal villages, said the law enforcement agencies on Saturday.

Besides, 41.5 kg hashish, 2.4 kg heroin, 300 gram opium, 487 gram ice, 322 bottles of liquor, a 7mm rifle, one 9mm pistol and five 30-bore pistols were recovered from the possession of those arrested.

But a police officer told Dawn that the number of arrests and the recoveries was below expectations.

“It was a targeted operation, especially the one at Doray and Athal villages, but a number of dens in the two villages were found abandoned along with narcotics,” he added.

“The chances of leaking information to the suspects about the operation could be a possibility as no one was found in the identified spots,” the officer said. This was despite the fact that such spots remained crowded at weekend nights.

Mobile phones and inventories were recovered or seized from the arrested people which showed the identification of the sellers as well as the buyers of drugs. “Besides, officials who were hand in gloves with drug peddlers have been identified.”

The officer said names of some big-shots who used to purchase drugs from the area were also found in the mobile phones seized from the suspects.

Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Waqaruddin Syed told Dawn that the police and ANF had their own lists of dens and peddlers and action was taken against 80pc of the suspects so far. The operation will continue till Monday to arrest all the suspects and close the dens.

The operation was launched on Friday evening to get the city clear of drug dens and peddlers.

“Investigation is underway to also nab all those from whom the peddlers were purchasing drugs as well as the clients of the peddlers,” the SPP said.

Earlier, Brigadier Syed Mubasher Kazmi of the ANF, DIG operations Faisal Ali Raja and the SSP operations told a press conference that the capital police along with personnel of the ANF achieved great success in the joint operation against drug peddlers and recovered huge cache of narcotics during the last 24 hours.

The decision to launch the joint operation was taken at a meeting between Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Mohammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan and ANF Director General Major General Arif Malik.

The operation was launched in areas from where complaints had been received about drug peddling, the officials said.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2019