Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control has activated three additional Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Police Stations to control smuggling and spread of narcotics in the country.
Making the total number of ANF Police Stations – 28.As part of its measures to curb smuggling of narcotics, the government has regulated local precursor industry in the country in order to avoid misuse of precursor chemicals for preparation of National Coverage Determination (NCD) and also ensured deployment of ANF personnel at all international airports, seaports and dry ports to counter narcotics trafficking through passengers and goods.
Listing the other steps, official sources on Sunday said campaign/crackdown was launched against drug peddlers involving police, destruction of poppy crop in coordination with Provincial governments and FATA Administration and capacity building of ANF officials and other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) through training and provision of equipment for counter narcotics activities.
Canine Units (sniffer dogs) were also established at each Regional Directorate (RD) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, North, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan) while intelligence network of ANF has been expanded inside main cities to locate and hunt drug smugglers/peddlers.
The sources said areas around educational institutions are being monitored on regular basis to stop/counter sale of drugs to students, enrolment of 590 individuals enforcers in the Force is in process while checking of international arrivals is being ensured at all airports and checking of domestic flights at Quetta and Peshawar airports.
Moreover, the sources said National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Verification System has been extended to RDs for speedy investigations.
The ANF Special Squads also making random checks at all Railway Stations, scope of Port Control Unit (PCU) at Karachi has been expanded and checking of imports at seaports has also been commenced despite paucity of resources.
The CCTV cameras are also installed for effective profiling of passengers at all airports, the sources said and added to monitor trafficking and use of synthetic drugs, Regional Directorates of ANF have been directed to take stringent measures.
With regard to diversion of precursors for manufacturing of narcotics drugs, the sources said, an elaborate SOP has been formulated and being implemented in letter and spirit while Pre-Export Notification (PEN) online system is in practice to have check on misuse/diversion of precursors.
They said ANF was striving hard to control drugs trafficking as unprecedented and record seizures are indication of ANF’s resolve to combat menace of drugs. The achievements in seizures of narcotics are appreciated by world community.
