450 kg poppy seized from truck in J&K, driver arrested

A truck driver was arrested and 450 kg poppy seeds were seized from his vehicle on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district, officials said onThursday.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team intercepted a truck on its way to Punjab from Kashmir in Banihal area on Wednesday night, they said.

During checking, 18 bags filled with poppy seeds, weighing 450 kg in total, were recovered from the vehicle, the officials said.

The accused driver, Gurmail Singh alias Sonu of Punjab's Kapoorthala district, was arrested and a case under relevant sections registered against him at the Banihal police station, they said.

During a preliminary investigation, Singh disclosed he smuggled the consignment from Kashmir's Sangam area and it was to be sold in Punjab, they said.

In the past week, Banihal police have arrested eight drug peddlers and seized huge quantities of contraband.