'Worsening drug crisis': Over one lakh kilograms of drugs seized in Jammu Kashmir in 5 year, says govt.

July 24, 2025 by News Desk

An escalating drug crisis is tightening its grip on Jammu Kashmir, with official figures revealing massive narcotic hauls and a steady rise in arrests over the past five years, pointing to a deepening network of supply chains, rising local abuse, and a state struggling to contain the threat.

Over 1.12 lakh kilograms of drugs were seized in Jammu Kashmir between 2018 and 2022, according to official data shared by the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Lok Sabha on July 22.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, while citing figures from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), said the seizures reflect the scale of the drug problem in the region.

In 2018, enforcement agencies in J\&K confiscated 19,353.68 kilograms of narcotics, along with 87,713 tablets or capsules classified as psychotropic substances, and 7,997.22 litres of liquid-based psychotropics.

The following year, 2019, saw a sharp rise, with 26,517.39 kilograms of narcotics, 1,64,428 units of pharmaceuticals, and 2,133.30 litres of psychotropic substances seized.

In 2020, the figures rose again to 27,361.35 kilograms of drugs, a staggering 6,18,361 pharmaceutical units, and 40,890.11 litres of psychotropics, despite the administrative bifurcation that separated Ladakh from Jammu Kashmir that year.

However, the subsequent years showed a decline. In 2021, the seizures dropped to 22,082.41 kilograms, 1,71,954 units, and 4,069.23 litres. The downtrend continued in 2022, with 17,192.41 kilograms of narcotics, 3,00,776 tablets and capsules, and 956.10 litres confiscated.

While these NCRB figures end in 2022, the JK government has provided additional data post-2022.

In a press release issued in August 2024, the government stated: “29,306 kilograms of drugs and 74,179 pharmaceutical items were destroyed in 2023. In the first half of 2024, another 4,365 kilograms of drugs and 26,772 pharmaceutical items were destroyed.”

The crackdown on narcotics has also led to thousands of arrests. Between 2018 and 2022, 6,851 individuals were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in J-K. The number of cases rose from 938 in 2018 to 1,837 in 2022

The government further noted in the August 2024 statement that “since the beginning of 2023, 3,190 cases have been registered and 4,536 individuals arrested.”

In addition, 463 orders of detention have been issued under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT NDPS) Act during the 18-month period ending mid-2024, specifically targeting drug traffickers and kingpins.

The government also claimed to have intensified efforts to disrupt the supply chain of illegal drugs and opioids, resulting in a series of arrests and prosecutions related to the possession and sale of medicinal narcotics.