Cabinet okays act to seize properties of drug offenders following conviction under NDPS
A green signal has been given by the Punjab cabinet for enactment of "Punjab Forfeiture of Illegally Acquired Property Act, 2017" to enable attachment, seizure and forfeiture of properties of drug offenders. It would empower officers to attach, seize or forfeit properties as part of the ongoing war against drugs initiated by the state government, said an official spokesperson. It would also enable them to crack down on properties acquired through illicit trafficking of narcotics drugs, smuggling and trade of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act), 1985. It has been further clarified that property older than six years at the time of the registration of the case will not be attached or confiscated under the provisions of the new Act. The Act applies to every person who has been convicted of an offence punishable under the NDPS Act 1985 with imprisonment for a term of ten years or more. It applies to every person in respect of whom an order of detention has been made under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988 (46 of 1988). It further applies to every person who has been arrested or against whom a warrant or authorization of arrest has been issued for the commission of an offence punishable under the NDPS Act 1985, with imprisonment for a term of ten years or more. -PTC News
