PICTURE: DAILY JANG
LAHORE: Nine members of an international gang of drug smugglers, who trapped a family going to Jeddah by changing the tag of their bag and stuffing it with ice drug at Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore, have been arrested and family arrested in Saudi Arabia released.
Five members of the family have returned home after the authorities provided details to the Saudi government and made their release possible on the special instructions of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The minister visited the home of the released family.
Addressing a press conference, Minister Naqvi said that he was grateful for the cooperation of Saudi authorities, adding ANF was doing its best against drug trafficking. Saudi authorities have cleared the innocent family from the drug case.
He said that a massive crackdown was being carried out against drug dealers. The victim family was implicated in the drug case after which the gang was caught in 48 hours. The details of the case was shared with the Saudi government making it possible for the release of the family. He said the ANF did a great job otherwise these people could not come back for the rest of their lives.
The interior minister said that anyone involved in drug peddling will not escape the law, adding the ANF has started working against the spread of drug trafficking in educational institutions.
the ANF director general on the occasion added said on December 23, a gang used a family’s bag for smuggling drugs and changed the tag of one of the passengers’ bag and placed ice in the bag. Five members of the family were detained in Saudi Arabia.
He said that the ANF reviewed all the entry and exit points, detained a porter and investigated the matter. Soon the whole gang was exposed, he said, adding all evidence was given to the Saudi authorities, which made it possible to release the victim family.
The victim family said that this incident caused them a lot of pain and distress, and the timely action of Minister Mohsin Naqvi and the government saved them.
