120 NDPS cases registered, Rs 13.5 Cr assets targeted in 1-month anti-drug drive in Anantnag

Anantnag, May 11:Anantnag Police registered 120 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested 118 drug peddlers during the first month of the ongoing “NashaMukt JK Abhiyaan,” a 100-day anti-drug campaign launched across Jammu and Kashmir, officials said Monday.

The figures were shared during a press conference addressed by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anantnag Amod Ashok Nagpure, who was accompanied by senior police officers, including the Superintendent of Police (SP) and Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP).

Nagpure said more than 300 kilograms of contraband substances were seized during multiple operations conducted across the district over the past month. “Properties worth around Rs 10 crore were attached in 14 cases under legal provisions related to assets allegedly acquired through drug trafficking,” he said. “In a separate action, police demolished two properties valued at nearly Rs 3.5 crore, allegedly linked to proceeds from the narcotics trade,” the SSP said.

He said police also destroyed illegal narcotic cultivation spread over nearly 300 marlas of land during the drive as part of efforts to dismantle drug networks at the grassroots level. Police additionally destroyed around 1,084 kilograms of narcotic substances after completing legal procedures, the SSP said. During the crackdown, police arrested one female drug peddler and two women accused of cultivating narcotic crops. Two government employees were also found involved in drug-related cases, and legal action has been initiated against them, he said.

The SSP said police cancelled 13 driving licences and nine vehicle registration certificates in coordination with the concerned authorities in connection with narcotics-related offences. “To prevent repeat offences and curb the activities of habitual offenders, police invoked preventive detention laws against 119 alleged drug peddlers during the month,” he said. Nagpure said police conducted 80 narcotics-related cordon and search operations across the district. “Joint inspection teams comprising police and officials from concerned departments inspected 45 medical shops across Anantnag district and detected 15 violations, following which legal action was initiated against the violators,” he added. Police also busted two narcotics hideouts during the period as part of intensified anti-drug operations, the SSP said. He said police trained 50 investigating officers handling NDPS cases at the District Police Office in Anantnag on legal procedures and evidence handling to strengthen investigation standards. Reiterating a zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking, the SSP appealed to the public, particularly young people, to cooperate with police in identifying and reporting narcotics-related activities.