Drug-laden drone crashes in Sheikhupura neighbourhood

LAHORE: A drone carrying narcotics fell onto the roof of a house in Sheikhupura’s Narang Mandi area on Sunday, after which police took the aircraft and the recovered drugs into custody and opened an investigation.

Sheikhupura District Police Officer Bilal Zafar Sheikh said police moved in after receiving information that a drone had crashed within the limits of Narang police station. He said the site in Mohalla Rafiqabad was sealed off and officers began examining the incident.

The drone was black, about three feet in length, and was found on the roof of a residence. A packet wrapped in yellow tape and fitted with reflective lights was recovered from inside it. "approximately 5kg of heroin"

DPO Sheikh said police had also stepped up patrols in the area. He said investigators had not yet established whether the drone was being used to move drugs across the border or to another destination inside the city. "We are trying to gather information to track down the suspects who operated the drone"

Sources said the consignment was being smuggled to a neighbouring country. Those sources described it as part of a long-running trafficking trade in Lahore, Sialkot and Kasur, with payments for such consignments settled in Dubai according to previous law enforcement reports.