The Jammu and Kashmir Police is fighting a decisive battle against Pakistan-based narco-handlers and will hunt down drug syndicates trying to revive terrorism, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat said. Speaking at a press conference at the Police Control Room (PCR) Kashmir, the DGP said that the Jammu and Kashmir Police is engaged in a decisive battle against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and narco-terrorism.
Prabhat also said that officials audited 5,238 chemists and drug shops, initiating punitive action against 151 erring establishments. A massive cache of 4,962 kilograms of narcotics and 6,493 units of psychotropic substances was safely disposed of during the campaign. The DGP warned narco-handlers, specifically referring to ISI-sponsored Shahzad Bhatti, whom he described as a key kingpin behind narco-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir. “We will hunt them down,” he said, adding that the force would treat the narco-trade at a military level and would decimate such networks.
He identified cross-border drug syndicates as one of the biggest threats to the region, saying that the police had shown “consistent progress” in dismantling narco-terror networks. He asserted that Pakistan-backed handlers and kingpins involved in drug trafficking would be relentlessly pursued, as they were attempting to revive terrorism but would never succeed.
Warning the handlers of strict legal action, he also announced an intensified crackdown under the “Nasha Mukt Abhiyan.” He released comprehensive operational data detailing the police crackdown on drug syndicates. Prabhat said that the Jammu and Kashmir Police ranked third nationally in 2025 for attaching properties linked to narcotics trafficking. “For the first time, properties were attached outside the Union Territory, specifically in Gurdaspur, Pathankot, and Chandigarh,” he said.
Elaborating further, he said, “Anantnag Police attached properties worth ?6.17 crore in a single case, while Kulgam Police attached assets worth ?93 lakh in the Beni Charana area of Jammu.” Giving further details, the DGP said that a total of 41 properties valued at nearly ?15 crore, derived from drug proceeds, were demolished. He added that Jammu and Kashmir ranked first in India for executing 240 detentions under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 2025.
Among the major arrests, police apprehended Gulzar Ahmad alias “Lau Gujjar,” wanted in 28 cases, and Avneet Singh alias “Nagi,” wanted in 17 cases. He further stated that the “Nasha Mukt Abhiyan” drive led to an approximately seven-fold increase in NDPS cases compared to the previous year. Authorities suspended or cancelled 162 driving licences and 92 vehicle registration certificates linked to drug trafficking, while also recommending the impounding of 10 passports. More than 117 kanals of land used for illicit poppy and cannabis cultivation was cleared and destroyed.
