4 drug peddlers held with contraband worth lakhs in Udhampur

Four alleged drug peddlers were arrested along with narcotic substances including heroin in Udhampur district on Monday, police said.

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Jeevan Kumar and Sunil Kumar, both residents of Jaganoo village, were arrested after 9.40 gm of heroin worth about Rs 6 lakh was recovered from their possession at Tikri on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, a police spokesman said. He said they were moving on a motorcycle when they were intercepted and subjected to checking by police.

Two more peddlers, driver Sanjay Kumar and Rohit Kumar of Kah-Phalata village, were arrested after 9.60 kg of poppy straw worth about Rs 1 lakh was recovered from their vehicle at Flata checkpoint in the Rehambal area, the spokesman said.

He said all four arrested peddlers were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The spokesman said police have so far registered 61 cases under the NDPS Act since January this year in the district and arrested 87 accused, including seven under the stringent Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act.

The spokesman said 22 vehicles used for the transportation of narcotics were seized while six pharmacy shops were also attached for violating drug norms.

As part of financial disruption, he said 43 bank accounts linked to drug peddlers were frozen, involving an amount of Rs 16,72,948.

The seized contraband, including heroin, charas, poppy straw and ganja, was valued at Rs 2.42 crore in the black market, the spokesman said, adding police also attached properties worth Rs 4.69 crore, including multiple vehicles, residential houses and commercial assets related to both NDPS and bovine smuggling cases.

Police have also successfully secured convictions against 28 drug peddlers in 21 cases from courts, which marks the professional approach towards case investigation and prosecution, the spokesman said.