Jammu and Kashmir Turned Hub Of Narcotics: A Threat From Across The Border-OxBig News Network

Jammu and Kashmir is facing a new crisis as officials state that drug addiction is becoming a serious concern in Kashmir, devastating the lives of young people. There has been a sharp rise in heroin consumption, with the main rehabilitation facility in Srinagar reporting a 200 per cent increase in patients seeking treatment since 2020, primarily for heroin addiction.

Recent surveys on drug abuse in Jammu and Kashmir paint a grim picture of an escalating crisis, particularly in the Kashmir Valley. Approximately 13 lakh people in J&K are estimated to be drug users, representing about 10% of the population. These figures suggest a sharp rise from earlier estimates of 6 lakh in 2022.

Heroin is the most commonly used drug, with a 95 per cent dependence rate among users. It is often injected, leading to high rates of syringe reuse and sharing, which increases health risks like Hepatitis C.

Reports indicate that the majority of users fall into the 15–30 age group. Eighty-five per cent of opioid users prefer injection. Approximately 33,000 syringes are used daily for heroin injection in the Valley; a rough estimate suggests that among them, 65% are reused syringes, which increases the risks of diseases like Hepatitis C. Doctors at the main Drug De-addiction Centre in Srinagar stated that around 350-400 addicts visit the daily outpatient department (OPD), with a maximum of around 300 being heroin users who administer the drug through injection.

Dr. Fazl e Roub, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, IMHANS, said, “We used to see 3-4 patients in 2016, but now we see 350-400 patients daily, most of whom are heroin users. I am talking about this center only; there are many more centers in Kashmir, and mostly they use syringes. Many patients are now shifting to Tapandol as the government has imposed strict restrictions. Out of the 350-400 patients we see daily, 300 are using heroin, and of those, 250-270 use syringes. They have a vast network; many peddlers are here, but now it’s getting difficult for them. It’s affecting the whole community; almost 70 per cent of them have Hepatitis C, and it goes from one human to another; it affects the whole family. The age group is 18 to 29; we have seen some females also. Treatment-seeking data for this center is around 8000, and many do not seek treatment early. A survey indicated 68,000 patients were treatment-seeking. We get patients from all classes; it’s unfortunate that every class is getting affected, even the professional class.”

Drug abuse imposes a significant financial burden, as it is estimated that a user spends an average of INR 88,000–90,000 monthly on heroin. One of the drug addicts in rehabilitation spoke to Zee News, stating that he used to take 4 grams of heroin daily, which cost him around 24,000 rupees a day. He said there are more than 50 people alone selling in Srinagar, and dozens are in Jammu. In Jammu, drugs are available at a lower rate, so youth from Srinagar now travel to Jammu daily to obtain heroin.

A drug addict in the rehab center said, “I used to take 4 grams of heroin; it costs 24,000 rupees per day. We used to manage money; four or five friends of us contributed. It’s 100% true that heroin is used by 90% of drug abusers in Kashmir; heroin use is increasing day by day.

This time, most of the use is happening in Jammu and Kashmir. They want to destroy the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, and that’s happening. Heroin use will never end. It’s common everywhere—in colleges, in schools, in tuition centers. ‘Chitta’ is common; it’s called Chitta because it is white in color. It’s increasing minute by minute. You say 50 thousand; around 1 lakh are those who are taking treatment, taking medicine; imagine how many more there would be. I am talking about heroin users; they are not in thousands; they are in lakhs. Earlier, it used to come pure; now it’s synthetic. In Kashmir, around 40-50 are selling this. Now youth don’t go to dealers in Kashmir; they directly go to Jammu. There are so many spots in Jammu; one gets closed, another is opened.”

J&K Police and security forces have now escalated their fight against narco-terrorism through property seizures, arrests, and enhanced border surveillance, targeting both drug peddlers and their financial networks. While significant strides have been made, the complex nexus of drugs and terrorism, fueled by Pakistan-based handlers, remains a formidable challenge. The police focused on dismantling interstate and cross-border narco-terror modules. In 2025, the Jammu and Kashmir Police invoked the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act against notorious drug peddlers. Across the Union Territory, 463 detention orders were issued under PIT-NDPS in the last 18 months leading up to June 2024, indicating sustained enforcement into 2025.

SSP Srinagar G V Sundeep said, “This year, police in the anti-drug campaign have done extensive work against drug trafficking. Around 80 FIRs are registered, and nearly 150 drug peddlers were arrested. Around 40 big drug peddlers were booked under UAPA, which has given a jolt to their supply chain. Under NDPS cases, during investigations, many bank accounts were seized, and properties of big drug peddlers were seized and attached, valued around 7-8 crore rupees. Huge quantities of heroin, cannabis, and other drugs were recovered, which shows Jammu and Kashmir police’s zero tolerance.”

“Jammu and Kashmir, in the present and in the past, has busted many narco-terrorism modules. We, the police and administration, have many times, with proofs and evidence, shown the international community that narcotics fund terrorism. Many times we filed charge sheets; even the NIA also proved that a share in drug trade goes to terrorists.”

Apart from the crackdown on drug peddlers, the police continued coordination, community engagement, and rehabilitation efforts among the common people to curb narco-terrorism. Jammu and Kashmir police also started awareness programs among common masses; in every police station, a ‘thana diwas’ is conducted to educate people about drug abuse.

SSP Srinagar G V Sundeep said, “For many years, Jammu and Kashmir has adopted a multi-frontal approach in the anti-drug campaign. We make people aware every week during ‘thana diwas’. We mostly talk about drugs; we try to engage youth in sports to keep them away from drugs.”

Intelligence agencies suggest that as Pakistan is financially unstable, it is getting difficult for them to fund the terror organizations operating in Jammu and Kashmir. Now, changing their strategy, they have told terror organizations to focus more on narco trade. ISI, along with terror organizations operating in Pakistan, are pushing hard drugs like heroin and brown sugar through the LoC and Punjab, which are sold in Jammu and Kashmir as well as routed to metro cities in India, mostly Mumbai, and the Middle East, where their value increases 1000 times. A kilogram of heroin which costs 5 lakhs in Kashmir is sold for around 5 crores in Mumbai or Dubai.

Agencies say the heroin comes into Jammu and Kashmir from Afghanistan via Pakistan, a region known as the Golden Crescent, a name given to the opium-producing countries. As per data from the Narcotics Control Bureau of India, almost 800 kg of heroin were seized in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab from March 2019 to January 2025.

Narco-terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir refers to the nexus between drug trafficking and terrorist activities, primarily driven by Pakistan-based groups to fund terrorism and destabilize the region. This phenomenon has emerged as a significant security and social challenge in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly after the steep rise in drug-related incidents.

Agencies believe the LoC is a key entry point, with drugs like heroin, brown sugar, and cannabis smuggled through unfenced areas in districts like Kupwara, Baramulla, and Jammu border areas like R.S. Pura. Drones are increasingly used to drop consignments. Some drug consignments enter via Punjab and are rerouted to Jammu and Kashmir.

Agencies also have reports that Pakistan orchestrates narco trade in Jammu and Kashmir and other metro cities of India and routes it to the Middle East to earn huge amounts out of this trade. Out of the earned amount, some percentage is used by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Pakistan military to fund terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir. 

Authorities claim that Pakistan channels drug profits to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen.

A rough estimate suggests narcotics trafficking along the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India corridor generates estimated earnings of ₹500 crore annually.

NIA findings of ongoing drug seizures, such as 200 kg of heroin in 2019 and multiple seizures in 2020–2022, and busts of narcotics worth Rs 65 crore in Baramulla and Rs 180 crore in Samba, indicate a robust narco-terror network linked to Pakistan-based terror groups.