NCB busts cross-border heroin cartel in Jammu, mastermind held in Ladakh
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday said it has dismantled a major cross-border heroin trafficking network with the arrest of three persons, including the suspected mastermind, and the seizure of 5.16 kg of heroin in Jammu and Ladakh.
Acting on specific intelligence, NCB officials intercepted a vehicle at Panjtirthi in Jammu city on Saturday. Two occupants, both residents of north Kashmir's Baramulla district, were found in possession of heroin worth crores of rupees, according to an NCB spokesperson.
Following up on leads from the arrests, the NCB traced the suspected mastermind, also a Baramulla resident, to the Leh district of Ladakh. He was arrested on Monday, within two days of the initial seizure.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the seized heroin was part of an organised cross-border supply chain, with the contraband suspected to have originated from Pakistan and entered India through the Uri border sector, the spokesperson said.
The swift identification and arrest of the mastermind reflect the NCB's focus on dismantling the entire trafficking network rather than restricting enforcement to carriers and seizures, the spokesperson added.
The agency said the ongoing probe will aim to identify cross-border suppliers, financial links, transporters, local associates and the intended distribution network involved in the cartel.
This operation follows two other heroin seizures by NCB Jammu earlier this month — 438 grams on August 12 and 603 grams on August 13 — underscoring the sustained intensity of intelligence-led anti-narcotics operations in the region.
The NCB said further investigation and intelligence gathering are underway to unravel the entire cartel and establish its forward and backward linkages.
The agency urged citizens to support the fight against drug trafficking and addiction by sharing credible information through the National Narcotics Helpline – MANAS (1933), assuring confidentiality.
NCB reiterated its commitment to taking firm, sustained and intelligence-led action against drug trafficking networks, contributing to the objective of a 'Nasha Mukt' Bharat (drug-free India).
