NCB seizes 35-kg charas from a car near Jammu

JAMMU : With the rise in highvalue seizures of contraband drugs in the region, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Jammu zone, stated here that the seizures mandate an investigation which adequately probes their links with ‘narco-terrorism’.

On late Wednesday night, the NCB sleuths acting on a tip-off, seized around 35 kg char as( hashish form of cannabis) stashed in a car from the out skirts of Jammu on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway.

“Last month, we seized around 30 kg of drugs and now in the overnight operation, we have seized another 35 kgs. I have not noticed such huge quantity of seizures during my three-year tenure. We cannot rule out money generated from the sale of drugs beingu ti l is ed for funding terror ,” Manoj Kumar, NCB zonal director, told reporter son Thursday.

“The consignment was meant to be transported to Nasik in Maharashtra. Two youth who were smuggling it in their vehicle have been arrested. San der Khan and Faizan Rafiq are both residents of An ant na gin south Kashmir ”, he added.

In recent past, there has been a spurt in incidents of smuggling contraband into India.

As per sources, the consignment seized, also had made its way from across the border to the Valley.

National Investigating Agency (NIA), probing terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir, had recently recommended to the homeministry to close down the trade routes, from where H aw ala money, drugs and ammunition were allegedly smuggled into the country from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the past.

‘DRUGS A BIGGER THREAT THAN TERROR’

Jammu and Kashmir director general of police (DGP) SP Vaid on Thursday said the drug menace was a ‘bigger challenge’ than terrorism in the state and that contraband drugs were being ‘pumped from across the border’.