Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Anantnag Police have arrested a suspected inter-district drug trafficker and recovered 2.613 kilograms of heroin valued at an estimated ₹20 crore in the international market, marking one of south Kashmir’s biggest narcotics hauls this year.
The seizure was made during a routine naka check at Halmulla, where a police team intercepted a Maruti Ignis bearing registration number JK09B-2808 for inspection. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of four packets containing heroin, commonly referred to as brown sugar. The driver, identified as Ishtiyak Ahmad Moghal, a resident of Prada in Tangdar, was taken into custody on the spot.
Police said the investigating team followed due legal procedure, serving the accused a notice under Section 50 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act before conducting his personal search. That search yielded a fifth packet of heroin, pushing the total recovery to 2.613 kilograms. A case has been registered under FIR number 195 of 2026, invoking Sections 8 and 21 of the NDPS Act, and further investigation has been initiated.
Officials said the focus has now shifted to tracing the source of the contraband, identifying its intended destination, and mapping the wider network of suppliers and recipients believed to be involved in the smuggling chain. Investigators are working on the assumption that the consignment was part of a larger inter-district trafficking operation rather than an isolated transaction, given the scale and street value of the recovery.
South Kashmir, particularly the Anantnag-Kulgam belt, has in recent years emerged as a corridor of concern for narcotics movement, with police officials repeatedly flagging the involvement of organised networks rather than individual peddlers. Tuesday’s seizure adds to a string of recent operations aimed at choking the supply chain before it reaches consumers across the Valley.
Police described the recovery as a significant blow to the narcotics trade in the region and reiterated their resolve to pursue all those involved, regardless of their position in the supply chain. Authorities also renewed their appeal to the public to come forward with credible information about drug-related activity, stressing that sustained community cooperation remains central to curbing the menace.
