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Kashmir: 180 smugglers booked, 246 detained in 6 months
Police in north Kashmir's Baramulla district have launched a major operation against drug peddlers and smugglers, resulting in 180 cases being registered under the NDPS Act. A total of 246 people have been detained, including 30 who were slapped with the Public Safety Act. The police have also seized drugs and INR 1.13 crore ($157,000) across the district, which were intended for distribution within J&K and other states of the country. The seizures and arrests were made in villages near the Line of Control (LoC) that are being used as transit points by Pakistan-based handlers.
To break the nexus of drug smugglers and their handlers across the Line of Control, the police in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district have launched a massive operation against drug peddlers and smugglers and registered 180 cases under the NDPS Act and also detained 246 people, including 30 persons who were slapped with the Public Safety Act in the last six months.
Police said drugs and ₹1.13 crore were seized across the district that was meant for distribution within J&K and other states of the country.
Many seizures and arrests were made in villages near the LoC in Baramulla which are being used by Pakistan-based handlers as transit points.
Baramulla SSP Amod Ashok Nagpure said acting tough against smugglers and peddlers, the police also attached properties of smugglers in two cases (a house and a car). “In the first six months, 180 cases have been registered under the NDPS Act and 248 drug peddlers have been arrested and 28 have been detained under the PIT NDPS and PSA,” he said. “In the raids against drug smugglers, 18 vehicles were seized.”
Police said recoveries of drugs included 2.65 kg brown sugar, 4.205 kg heroin, 9.435 kg charas, 131.02 kg poppy and cannabis.
Over the years, Pakistan-based handlers had established strong network in border districts of Baramulla and Kupwara and had been using conduits and smugglers living in villages near LoC to stock packets and consignment of drugs in the villages which were brought from across the LoC. Of late, the police have been able to break the network of drug handlers, smugglers and peddlers in Baramulla and Kupwara. “Earlier, Baramulla and Kupwara have been a safe haven for drug smugglers. There are strong evidences that drugs are being used to fund militancy and narco terrorism is becoming a big threat. In the past six months, the police managed to unveil several such networks of drug peddlers and smugglers,” said a senior police officer in north Kashmir.
