Bhat Yasir
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 11 crores have been recovered from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district alone during the present year.
As per official figures, accessed by The Kashmiriyat, during the first half of 2022 drugs, including cash used for drugs, worth 11 crore, 8 lakh and four thousand were recovered by Police in the Baramulla district.
Police data revealed that a total of 180 cases were registered against 276 persons in drug related cases- out of which 248 persons were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
A house was also attached by Jammu Kashmir Police in the north Kashmir district which was allegedly accumulated using the money from drugs. Legal experts, however, have challenged the legality of attaching/ freezing the assets.
According to the Police, brown sugar worth 3.41 crores was recovered. The quantity of brown sugar seized by Police during various operations against drug abuse in Kashmir was put at 2.625 kilograms.
Heroin weighing 4.205 kilograms worth 5.46 crores was recovered by Police, as per official figures accessed by The Kashmiriyat.
Charas worth 42.53 lakhs, Poppy straw worth 65.51 lakhs were also seized. The Jammu Kashmir Police also claimed to have recovered a cash of 1.13 crores in the north Kashmir district, adding that it seized 18 vehicles used for drug related crime.