Narcotics being used to fuel militancy
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 16: Pakistan and its sponsored militants have been smuggling consignments of narcotics along with arms, ammunition and explosives from across the border to generate funds for sustaining the militancy and spoil youths of the Valley. The Over Ground Workers (OGWs) were also using local production of narcotics in the Valley to fund militancy.
Sources told the Excelsior that the new trend has been witnessed in which some of the infiltrating militants were seen carrying consignments of narcotics with them along with arms and explosives. These consignments have been seized.
Some of the arrested militants and their Over Ground Workers have also confessed that the militants were pumping narcotics into Jammu and Kashmir and the funds generated from it are being used to fuel militancy.
“It has been observed that the militants were also forcing the local people especially in South Kashmir to cultivate narcotics to raise the funds and supply them to the militants,” sources pointed out.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and other such organizations have also made huge haul of narcotics in Jammu region at various places.
“In some of the seizures, the investigations were on to find out the militant links of the narcotics smugglers,” sources said.
In an earlier major strike on narcotics and arms smuggling in Jammu and Kashmir, the DRI had seized 20.8 kg of high quality heroin.
Another packet of 184 gm of opium and two foreign made pistols with four magazines were also recovered from border area in Akhnoor region of Jammu on November 6.
Intelligence suggested that consignment was destined for Punjab, sources said.
The contraband was in a packing, which indicated that it was of Pakistan origin, it said.
The DRI had inputs that heroin and arms were being smuggled from Pakistan through infiltrators.
In recent past too, the DRI had seized heroin in the State. This was fourth such seizure of heroin by the DRI in a span of three months.
This involvement of Pakistan-based smugglers and agencies is almost confirmed and is being further investigated, sources said.
They added that there have been several instances in which narcotics packets were recovered from the possession of slain and arrested militants in the Kashmir valley, which also confirmed militants-drug mafia nexus.
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