Two heroin routes into Jammu exposed after back-to-back seizures
Two recent operations reveal heroin is entering Jammu from Punjab and via Kashmir's Uri sector, leading to arrests and seizures.
Investigations into two major narcotics hauls within a fortnight have exposed two distinct routes used to smuggle heroin into Jammu, according to officials. One corridor runs from Punjab through the Jammu-Samba belt, while the other crosses the Line of Control via the Uri sector in North Kashmir.
In the latest operation on September 3, officials intercepted a passenger bus near the New Bus Stand in Samba and seized 522 grams of heroin. The bus had originated from Punjab. A follow-up raid in Ludhiana the next day led to the recovery of an additional 197 grams of the contraband.
A suspect, identified as Aqib Bashir from Kakapora in Pulwama, has been arrested in connection with this case. Investigators are now working to identify other members of the network.
This seizure came just days after a larger operation in Jammu city's Panjtirthi area on August 22, where 5.160 kg of heroin was recovered from a vehicle. Officials believe that consignment originated in Pakistan and entered Jammu and Kashmir through the Uri sector. The trail from that case led to arrests of three Baramulla natives in Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh.
Together, the two operations have resulted in the seizure of 6.920 kg of heroin. In a separate but related offensive, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) conducted raids in drug-affected settlements in the Jammu and Samba belt, recovering another 438 grams and 603 grams of heroin respectively.
An NCB spokesperson said the strategy is to trace the drugs back from the destination to the source, aiming to dismantle the entire trafficking chain. Further investigation is underway to identify financiers, intended recipients, and other associates, as well as to map the wider interstate and cross-border linkages of these networks.