LAHORE: A drone carrying illegal drugs crashed in a residential area of Sheikhupura’s Narang Mandi on Sunday, prompting the police to launch an investigation, Sheikhupura District Police Officer Bilal Zafar Sheikh told Dawn.

He said that police had taken the drone and contraband into custody, cordoned off the site of the incident and launched an investigation.

He said the action was taken after police were alerted that a drone had fallen on the roof of a house in Narang Police Station’s jurisdiction.

According to the initial inquiry, a black drone, approximately three feet long, was found on the house’s roof in Mohalla Rafiqabad, he said.

“A packet wrapped in yellow tape with reflective lights was found inside the drone,” DPO Sheikh said.

He further stated that the packet contained “approximately 5kg of heroin”.

“The police immediately intensified patrolling in the area,” he said.

To a question, DPO Sheikh said that it was yet to be confirmed whether the drone was sent to smuggle the drugs across the border or somewhere in the city.

“We are trying to gather information to track down the suspects who operated the drone”, the DPO said.

Sources claimed that the drugs were being smuggled to a neighbouring country — an act they described as part of a notorious business flourishing in Lahore, Sialkot and Kasur for the last few decades.

Payments against these smuggled drugs were being settled in Dubai, as per the previous reports finalised by the law enforcement agencies.