The Biz Repoter
Ganderbal, Dec 17:
In a major blow to organised drug trafficking networks, Jammu and Kashmir Police in Ganderbal has intensified its crackdown on the procurement and sale of high-value narcotic substances, including cocaine and heroin, leading to the recovery of contraband worth over ₹10 crore in the international illicit drug market.
As part of a series of special naka checking operations conducted on December 8, 2025, Ganderbal Police apprehended a drug peddler, Mohd Irfan Bhat, son of Ghulam Nabi Bhat, a resident of Kharbagh Wakura, Ganderbal. Subsequently, FIR No. 200/2025 under relevant sections of the NDPS Act was registered at Police Station Ganderbal and investigation was taken up.
Considering the gravity of the offence and the suspected network of the accused, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted by SSP Ganderbal Khalil Ahmad Poswal under the supervision of Additional SP Ganderbal Owaise Loun. The team was tasked with tracing backward and forward linkages of suppliers involved in trafficking high-value narcotics. The investigation is being led by SI Gulzar Hussain, In-Charge Police Post Shadipora, who has been making sustained efforts to unearth the broader drug nexus.
Following court-authorised search warrants, coordinated searches were carried out at multiple locations, including Sumbal, Shadipora, Zakura and other suspected places of concealment.
As a significant outcome of the investigation, police identified and detained another notorious drug peddler, Maqsood Hussain Khan, son of Abdul Majeed Khan, a resident of Hazratbal, Srinagar, presently residing at Gooripora, Sanat Nagar. During searches conducted at his rented accommodation at Gooripora on the intervening night of December 16 and 17, police recovered two packets of cocaine-like substance weighing approximately one kilogram, valued at more than ₹10 crore in the international illicit drug market. A vehicle, mobile phones and other electronic devices were also seized during the operation.
Police said an in-depth investigation is underway to identify the source of the contraband, dismantle the supply chain and ascertain inter-state and international linkages associated with the seizure. More arrests and recoveries are likely in the coming days.
Ganderbal Police reiterated its zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking and appealed to the public to cooperate by sharing information related to drug abuse or peddling, stressing that community support is vital in achieving a drug-free society.
