Narco-terror module busted in J&K's Poonch; 7 kg heroin, Rs 2 cr recovered

The recovery was made from the house of a notorious drug peddler, Rafi Dhana alias 'Rafi Lala'

Jammu and Kashmir Police busted a narco-terror module with the recovery of 7 kg heroin, nearly Rs 2 crore cash, some arms and ammunition from a drug peddler’s house near the Line of Control (LoC) in border district Poonch Friday.

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Jammu, Mukesh Singh said the heroin and cash were recovered from the house of “notorious drug peddler” Rafi Dhana alias Rafi Lala, who is already in detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

He said the nexus of this module with Punjab-based narcotics smugglers is being investigated. Already there have been reports that drugs smuggled from Pakistan through the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border are being smuggled to Punjab and proceeds generated from the illegal trade are used for fanning terrorism in the Union Territory.

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In some cases, drugs smuggled from Punjab, which shares a 545-km-long border with Pakistan, are also pumped into Jammu and Kashmir. There have been numerous incidents of drug and arms smuggling through drones.

On Thursday, senior police officers of northern states met in Chandigarh to discuss the serious threat of narcotics smuggling and the steps required to contain the menace collectively.

The arrival of such deadly drugs has resulted in Heroin abuse showing an alarming increase in Kashmir in recent years. From 15 per cent heroin abuse recorded in 2016, it has now gone up to 95 per cent, said doctors at a government de-addiction center in Srinagar.

"Narco-terror is growing to become a big threat from Pakistan, not only in terms of sustenance of terrorist activities by outfits but also in terms of its impact on the youth in the valley who are seen increasingly indulging into substance abuse,” the officer added.