Inter-state drug racket busted, 15 held

With the arrest of 15 people, including eight women, police today claimed to have busted an inter-state drug racket in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The police also recovered 300 kg of poppy straw from their possession, an official spokesman said.

During a search operation at the Ichgam Budgam road, the police intercepted three vehicles.

The sleuths recovered green-coloured polythene packets each containing poppy straw, weighing around 1 kg each on an average.

They were packed in around eight suitcases, weighing approximately 323 kg in total, he said.

The arrested people include seven men and eight women, the spokesman said.

The accused were part of an inter-state drug racket operating in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

The seized narcotic substance is sold at an average price of Rs 2,500 per kg in Punjab, the spokesman said.

A case under Section 8/15 of the NDPS Act 2018 was registered against them, he added.