PESHAWAR: A Saudi-bound passenger was caught with ice worth Rs96 million at the Peshawar airport on Wednesday night.
The passenger, Jamshed who hails from Swabi, was caught in possession of 950g ice by customs officials, as he was about to board his plane at the Bacha Khan International Airport.
After arresting him, a first information report (FIR) was filed against him.
Under the present legislation, a minimum of 100g narcotics needs to be recovered from a dealer for them to be convicted. Taking advantage of the law, seasoned dealers do not carry more than the allowed limit to prevent the fear of being caught.
The proposed bill covers this loophole by specifically mentioning crystal methamphetamine and its other prevalent names such as ‘ice’ and ‘glass’. Reportedly, various sentences and penalties have been defined for categories such as 1 to 10g, 10 to 100g and more than 100g.
Earlier in January, it was reported that as many as 341 dealers have been detained by the police in Peshawar alone and 21g of the aforementioned drug has been recovered from them. Those arrested were also found selling the drug near educational institutes in the city.
The colourless drug is mostly imported from Afghanistan and Iran and is mostly used by the city elite given its high price which is as much as Rs8000 per gram.