1,700 drug peddlers arrested in Kashmir in 2022: Police

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Nearly 1,700 alleged drug peddlers were arrested in Kashmir in 2022 as part of a concerted drive against the substance abuse in the Valley which has assumed alarming proportions, police said on Tuesday.

A huge quantity of contraband substances, cash, arms and ammunition were also recovered during this period, he said.

"Police in Kashmir valley have registered 1,021 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, arrested 1,685 drug peddlers including 138 notorious drug peddlers who have been detained under PIT-NDPS Act during 2022," a police spokesman said.

Of the 1,021 registered cases, chargesheets were expeditiously filed in 917 cases before different courts of law against the accused persons, he said.

The spokesman said a huge quantity of different types of contraband psychotropic substances were recovered from these alleged drug peddlers during this period. Police also busted many narco-terror modules and 35 accused persons were arrested in this regard in 2021-22, while a huge contraband substances, cash, arms and ammunition were recovered, he said.

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The contraband substances seized included 212 kilograms of charas, 56 kilograms of heroin, 13 kilograms of brown sugar, 1.127 tonnes of bhang, 4.355 tonnes of poppy straw and 1.567 tonnes fukki, he added.

Police also launched drives against illegally cultivated poppy and bhang, destroying crops spread on about 51 hectares of land, the spokesman said.
Additional Director General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the war against the drug menace will continue with more vigour.

Strict action will be taken against persons involved in drug abuse and trade in the current year as well, he added. Kumar requested the community members to be part of the campaign by coming forward with any information regarding drug peddling in their neighbourhoods.

"Our consistent actions against drug peddlers should reassure the community members that we are making efforts to keep our society free from the scourge of drug menace and to secure the future of our youth," he added.

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