Raj Shamani's Figuring Out

Punjab Drug Crisis Explained: Mafia Network, Ground Reality & Black Money| Mukul | FO489 Raj Shamani

Mar 28, 2026
Guest
Mukul Singh Chauhan
Mukul Singh Chauhan, a senior reporter who investigates drug crime in Punjab, shares first‑hand field reporting and interviews. He describes how Punjab became a drug hub. He explains distribution networks, synthetic threats like tramadol and fentanyl, corruption and enforcement gaps. He recounts social pressures, how addiction progresses, missing children narratives, and what coordinated action might look like.
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INSIGHT

Synthetic Drugs Escalate Scale And Risk

  • Synthetic drugs like tramadol and fentanyl amplify the crisis because they can be mass-produced in labs and mixed unpredictably.
  • Mukul referenced reports of pharmaceutical companies supplying synthetics sold abroad and the risk of lethal adulteration locally.
ANECDOTE

Seeing Teenagers Injecting On Roadside

  • Mukul witnessed teenagers injecting in public and reported clusters where HIV spread via shared syringes.
  • He described finding 16-year-olds injecting on roadsides and multiple users sharing one syringe, increasing HIV cases in Punjab.
INSIGHT

Free Doses Create A Fast Addiction Pipeline

  • Dealers use initial free or tiny doses to create addiction within 6–8 days and then convert users into debt-burdened repeat buyers.
  • Mukul reported peddlers deliberately give small free doses and then sell 1 gram at ~₹3,500, driving users to steal or sell assets to pay.
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