NCB TIGHTENS NOOSE AROUND DRUG TRAFFICKERS

Chandigarh, December 2 The properties, assets and bank accounts of
all the narcotics smugglers and drug-traffickers that have been
convicted or detained under the Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic
Substances (NDPS) Act, are going to be 'forfeited'.

In wake of the increasing incidents of narcotics smuggling in the
northern region, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), under the
provisions of NDPS Act, is going to initiate the move shortly, for
which the steps have already been initiated.

The Chandigarh Zonal unit of the NCB has started preparing a database
of all those persons who have been caught under the Act. "There had
been specific intelligence inputs about certain persons, who have
amassed huge wealth by merely smuggling narcotics from one state to
another and even out of the country. Such smugglers are investing the
money earned from drug trafficking into property, land-deals, bonds,
shares and a few have dumped the same in their bank accounts. We
have started preparing the database of all such bank-accounts and
properties, which shall be forfeited and scrutinised," informed Saji
Mohar, Director, Narcotics Control Bureau.

NCB already has information on six such narcotics smugglers who have
owned numerous properties with the money they allegedly earned from
drug trafficking. The properties have been identified at Mohali,
Kharar, Derabassi and certain interior parts of Punjab and Haryana.

"We are shortly going to recommend forfeiture of such properties and
freezing of bank accounts opened by such drug dealers to a competent
authority in New Delhi. An Indian Revenue Services officer is in
charge of the wing and he is the final authority on it, but it is one
of the provisions under the Act," said Mohar. The NCB has already
started sending communications to the Income Tax department and the
authorities at Reserve Bank of India, seeking their cooperation in
the task of forfeiture.

A team of NCB officials have collected relevant information and
evidences on the 'illegally earned wealth' of such narcotics
smugglers by keeping surveillance at such persons and tracing their
financial and property transactions.