The drug trade in Kashmir has seen a drastic rise in the Kashmir valley during the past few years. Official figures reveal that drugs worth over 51.62 crores have been recovered from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district alone during the first five months of 2024.
As per official figures, accessed by The Kashmiriyat, during the first five months of 2024, drugs, including cash used for drugs, worth 51 crores, 62 lakhs were recovered by Police in the Baramulla district.
Police data revealed that a total of 95 cases were registered against 171 persons in drug-related cases—out of which 127 persons were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and 44 persons under the PIT NDPS/PSA.
A house was also attached by Jammu Kashmir Police in the north Kashmir district which was allegedly accumulated using money from drugs. Legal experts, however, have challenged the legality of attaching/freezing the assets.
According to the Police, brown sugar worth 50.73 crores was recovered. The quantity of brown sugar seized by Police during various operations against drug abuse in Kashmir was put at 8.262 kilograms.
Heroin weighing 661 grams worth 85.93 lakhs was recovered by Police, as per official figures accessed by The Kashmiriyat.
Charas worth 32.68 lakhs, Cannabis powder worth 41.77 lakhs, Spasmoproxyvon Plus (1020 tablets), and Codeine Phosphate (71 syrups) were also seized. The Jammu Kashmir Police also claimed to have recovered cash of 14.50 lakhs in the north Kashmir district, adding that it seized 15 vehicles used for drug-related crime.