ANF busts gang selling high-end drugs at Islamabad schools

RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has arrested the leader of a gang allegedly involved in supplying marijuana, LSD, and other imported high-end drugs to students of different universities and educational institutions in the federal capital.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, ANF Commander Regional Directorate Rawalpindi Brigadier Hammad Ahmed Dogar said the drug peddler was involved in supplying weed (marijuana) and LSD Stripes Blotters to school students in the twin cities.

He said the force had launched a campaign to net drug peddlers involved in supplying drugs in educational institutions.

The ANF Intelligence deployed special surveillance teams and informers to monitor activities of gangs involved in supplying drugs to educational institutions, especially in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, he said.

Dogar said said the ANF managed to apprehend a notorious drug supplier, accused Waheed Ali, who was involved in supplying drugs to the students of different educational institutions.

The suspect was kept under surveillance for over three weeks so that he could be rounded up red-handed and was finally arrested with a recovery of 27 tokens of weed and 32 Blotters of LSD worth Rs 153,100 which he used to distribute in a week, he said, adding that the price per token of weed is Rs 3,300 and per Blotter is Rs 2,000.

The suspect used to peddle drugs to students of respected educational institutions, including Quaid-e-Azam University, Iqra University, NUST, COMSATS, Roots school, and others.

The drug peddler had employed students as agents to further distribute the drugs to other students, said the ANF commander.

Suspect used to distribute 27 tokens of weed and 32 LSD Blotters worth Rs 153,100 every week: ANF

The commander said that during the last month, ANF had conducted six operations and arrested eleven drug peddlers supplying to educational institutions.

The ANF is also working to check the anomalies which provide space to drug peddlers to operate in educational institutions unchecked, he said. In this regard some institutions have also been contacted and given suggestions by ANF for taking administrative action in this regard, he added.

The ANF Commander said the force was holding back the names of addicts to give them a chance for medical treatment.

"It has also been observed that habitual students are one of the main source for spreading drugs within institutions which gives them attractive returns or free of charge token," he said.

He said the matter is under consideration to register cases against all those facilitating drug peddlers in educational institution.

Nisar orders campaign against narcotics use in schools

Meanwhile, Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has ordered the district administration to start a concerted campaign against use of narcotics in schools and educational institutions.

According to the Interior Ministry, the interior minister instructed that, if needed, help should be sought from the ANF.

The minister said use of narcotics was an epidemic from which children had to be protected, adding that those who were pushing innocent children towards narcotics were criminals of the nation.

A formal campaign would be started from Monday, said the interior minister, who appealed to citizens to fully cooperate for the success of the campaign.