Narco Kingpin Navpreet Singh Brought Back From Turkey, Amit Shah Sets 2029 Deadline To End Drug Cartels

New Delhi: India has succeeded in bringing back Navpreet Singh, wanted in drug smuggling cases, from Türkiye. Union Home Minister Amit Shah gave this information on social media platform X on Saturday. He said that Indian agencies played an important role in ascertaining the identity of Navpreet Singh and deporting him from Türkiye.

Who is Navpreet Singh on the radar of agencies?

According to police and investigating agencies, Navpreet Singh alias 'Nav', hailing from Punjab, was allegedly linked to an international drug network operating from Turkey. In the investigation of Delhi Police, his name had come up in a big heroin smuggling case. According to investigators, his network had contacts from Afghanistan to Punjab, Haryana and Delhi in India. 

In May 2026, The Indian Express reported that India was working on the process of extraditing Navpreet Singh from Türkiye. According to reports, proceedings were pending against him in several narcotics cases and an extradition request had already been sent to Turkey. 

How to take Turkish citizenship?

Amit Shah claimed in his post that Navpreet Singh had obtained Turkish citizenship by using a fake identity named 'Nawab Virk'. According to Shah, despite this he remained involved in smuggling of heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan to India. Indian agencies traced his real identity and succeeded in deporting him from Türkiye. 

However, the final legal conclusions regarding these allegations and his alleged role in the network will depend on the judicial process of the respective cases.

Has Navpreet's name come up before?

Navpreet Singh's name has already surfaced in cases related to drug smuggling in India. In a 2023 Delhi Police charge sheet, he was described as one of the key members of an alleged drug syndicate based in Türkiye. In that case, the network for transporting drugs from Afghanistan to India was investigated.

In 2025, Amritsar Police also claimed to have busted a narco-hawala network allegedly linked to Turkey-based Navpreet Singh. In that action, it was reported that 1.10 kg of heroin and alleged hawala money worth about Rs 1.06 crore had been recovered. 

What did Amit Shah say about the arrest?

Amit Shah said that Navpreet Singh has been sent to jail in cases related to drug smuggling and other crimes after being brought back to India. He congratulated the concerned agencies for this action. The Home Minister also said that the Central Government is committed to the target of eliminating every narco-cartel before December 2029. This is the stated goal of the government, while investigation and legal action in various cases proceed at the level of individual agencies and courts.

Modi govt has achieved a historic milestone by securing the deportation of hardened narco-trafficking kingpin Navpreet Singh from Türkiye.

Obtaining Turkish citizenship under the fake identity of Navab Virk, he had continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine to India from…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 3, 2026