Smuggler accused of smuggling heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan to India returned
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah has announced that Navpreet Singh, known as “Nav”, one of the most wanted smugglers, has been transferred to India after being deported from Turkey.
According to Shah, Singh obtained Turkish citizenship using the fake identity of Nawab Virk and is accused of smuggling heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan to India.
The 34-year-old, a resident of Punjab, India, was wanted in several drug-related cases and had been on the run for more than two years; Indian authorities consider him to be one of the leaders of an international drug trafficking network whose activities in India were managed by his cousin, Prabdeep Singh.
Prabdeep Singh, known as “Harry”, was also deported to India from Azerbaijan in May; he was wanted in connection with the seizure of 358 kilograms of heroin in 2021.
Officials familiar with the matter said that India had submitted extradition requests for Navpreet Singh to Turkey in 2023 and 2024; Amit Shah called her return “a historic achievement” and emphasized the Indian government’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks.
