PESHAWAR: Authorities have confiscated 960 kilograms of narcotics, including 720kg of hashish and 240kg of opium, during an intelligence-led operation in Peshawar, the Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department said Monday.
Officials described the recovery as the largest-ever single seizure by the department’s Excise Intelligence Bureau.
According to an official statement, the drugs were found hidden in a Toyota Revo bearing registration number SB-5069 (Sindh). Three special teams, operating under Provincial Incharge Aqif Nawaz Khan, were dispatched after receiving intelligence about the vehicle’s movement.
The teams established a checkpoint near
Jahaz Chowk, where the driver allegedly tried to escape after being signalled to stop. The vehicle was chased and intercepted near Ring Road.
Officials said the suspect allegedly opened fire at the Excise personnel and resisted arrest before abandoning the vehicle and escaping on foot under the cover of darkness.
A case has been registered at the Excise Police Station in Peshawar, while efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the fleeing suspect and other individuals allegedly involved in the drug trafficking operation.
Excise Minister Syed Fakhar Jahan welcomed the seizure, describing it as a significant achievement in the department’s campaign against narcotics.
He said intelligence-based operations would continue across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and reiterated the department’s policy of taking strict action against drug traffickers.
The minister said preventing narcotics from reaching young people remained a key priority and directed authorities to continue efforts to disrupt drug-smuggling networks.
Earlier Karachi drug bust
In a separate operation on September 1, 2026, the Karachi Task Force and a federal agency dismantled an alleged drug-smuggling network in Korangi Industrial Area and seized more than 50kg of ice, police said.
Eight suspects were arrested during a raid, with investigators saying the network was allegedly involved in concealing and transporting ice and ketamine in separate consignments.
Police identified the alleged mastermind as Nazir Soomro, while godown manager Shahid Mastoi was also taken into custody. Another suspect, Shaikh Khalid, was allegedly providing storage space for narcotics and facilitating financial transactions through a bank account.
Two Afghan nationals, identified as Noor Khan and Gran Khan, were also arrested for allegedly arranging the supply of drugs from Balochistan.
