Punjab drug smuggler Balwinder Singh jailed in Assam

Notorious drug smuggler Balwinder Singh, also known as Billa Havelian, has been sent to jail in Dibrugarh, Assam.

A senior official of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said on Tuesday that Singh has been detained under the stringent Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act.

This is the first such operation in Punjab targeting the drug mafia operating from prisons in the region.

The PITNDPS Act allows for preventive detention of repeat offenders for up to one year without bail. Singh, who has been active in drug trafficking since 1992 and has links with syndicates in Pakistan, was arrested in Gurdaspur in a joint operation by the NCB and the Punjab Police.

He is facing over 10 drug-related cases. Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav confirmed that Singh, who was on bail, is involved in cross-border smuggling networks with Pakistani smugglers.

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