Former Enforcement Directorate Deputy Director Niranjan Singh, in an exclusive conversation with True Scoop, spoke about the scale of Punjab’s drug trade, the money involved in the illegal business and the role allegedly played by people beyond the drug dealers themselves.
During the conversation, Singh was asked about the claim that Punjab’s drug cartel is worth more than ₹25,000 crore, to which he rejected the figure as an exaggeration and said the actual amount could be significantly higher.
Singh says that he was referring to ₹95,000 crore and according to him, studies conducted around two years earlier had estimated that drug-related money circulating in Punjab was worth more than ₹95,000 crore.
Singh said the figure was based on several studies that were being conducted at the time and he also indicated that the situation may have changed since then, particularly because the present Punjab government has taken steps aimed at recovering drug-related assets and money.
He acknowledged that authorities have made significant recoveries during the current government’s tenure, however, Singh drew a distinction between recovering drug money and reducing drug consumption. According to him, despite the recoveries being made, drug consumption has not stopped and he said people continue to die because of drug use and claimed that the rate of deaths has not decreased significantly compared with previous years.
Singh also spoke about the network surrounding the drug trade and according to him, the issue is not limited to drug dealers or organised drug cartels, he said the illegal trade also involves people who act as “protectors” and “collaborators” of those involved in the drug business.
He further said that some of these people hold positions of respect in society. Singh described this as one of the more concerning aspects of the drug problem, saying that the involvement of such people has contributed to the issue becoming a serious menace.