Pakistan’s “Cocaine Queen” Case Exposes Alleged Multi-Million Rupee Bribery Network Involving Law Enforcement & Intelligence Officials

A damning investigation report into the arrest of Pakistan’s notorious female drug lord Anmol alias “Pinky” — dubbed the “Cocaine Queen” — has triggered a national scandal, revealing alleged deep-rooted collusion between drug traffickers, police officers, and intelligence operatives across Karachi and Lahore.
Karachi: Bribes, Releases & Intelligence Links
According to the investigative report, obtained by Pakistani media, various government officials allegedly received bribes exceeding one million Pakistani rupees in exchange for repeatedly releasing arrested suspects. Multiple police stations in Karachi’s upscale DHA area, including Darakhshan, Gizri, and Boat Basin, are named in the report. Pinky has also confessed that her former husband maintained direct links with intelligence agencies, raising serious questions about institutional complicity.
Lahore: A Case Built to Fail
A parallel inquiry by the DIG Investigation in Lahore has uncovered glaring procedural failures in a 2022 narcotics case against Pinky and her brother Riaz Baloch. Investigators found that the handling officer deliberately avoided arresting Pinky, failed to declare her a proclaimed offender in the challan, and crucially, never conducted a forensic test on the seized narcotics — procedural lapses that led to the acquittal of the main accused. Reports further reveal that Pinky used acid to erase her fingerprints to evade identification.
During her 2024 custody, Pinky allegedly cultivated a relationship with a former police officer and bribed her way to freedom, after which she built an independent drug distribution network.
Political Response
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has demanded a full intelligence report on the case. The Counter-Narcotics Cell (CCD) has formally launched a fresh investigation, and the Lahore case is set to be reinvestigated from scratch.
The scandal has intensified public calls for accountability within Pakistan’s law enforcement and intelligence apparatus, with critics warning that systemic corruption is enabling the very criminal networks the state is meant to dismantle.