Srinagar, Sep 14: The drug menace in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is increasingly being viewed as a security, public health and organised-crime challenge, with enforcement agencies shifting focus from drug seizures to trafficking networks, illicit cultivation, financial flows and local consumption.

Official data shows agencies seized 11,066 kg of narcotics in J&K in 2023, 5,708 kg in 2024 and 4,491 kg in 2025. While seizures have declined, officials caution that this does not necessarily indicate a corresponding fall in trafficking.
“A decline in seizures does not necessarily mean a decline in trafficking. Seizures depend on intelligence-led operations, interdiction and the ability to detect consignments,” a senior drug law enforcement official said.
The official said the continued recovery of several tonnes of narcotics every year indicates that trafficking networks remain active, while agencies are increasingly examining what may be escaping detection.
J&K’s proximity to international borders and established smuggling routes makes the region particularly vulnerable. Investigations are consequently focusing beyond couriers and street-level sellers to suppliers, financiers, handlers and facilitators involved in the movement of drugs.
The challenge is also spreading beyond major urban centres, making prevention, rehabilitation and early intervention increasingly important alongside enforcement.
Ladakh, meanwhile, presents a smaller but emerging narcotics challenge. Officials cautioned that relatively fewer registered cases and seizures should not be interpreted as immunity from the problem.
Official records show 15.886 kg of narcotics was seized in Ladakh in 2024. The administration has also reported action against drug consumers and peddlers and flagged concerns over the involvement of young people.
“The geography of Ladakh makes the issue particularly important from a security perspective. Its remote terrain, expanding connectivity and proximity to international borders require sustained surveillance even when detected volumes are lower,” the official said.
Against this backdrop, the 2nd State and UT-level Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting for J&K and Ladakh, held recently in Srinagar, assumed significance.
The meeting brought together the Narcotics Control Bureau, J&K and Ladakh Police, Anti-Narcotics Task Forces, Enforcement Directorate, Border Security Force, Intelligence Bureau, Customs, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Income Tax Department and National Investigation Agency, among other stakeholders.
The discussions focused on joint interrogation, intelligence sharing, financial investigations, illicit cultivation and inter-State linkages, reflecting a growing recognition that narcotics trafficking operates through interconnected criminal networks rather than isolated cases.
The approach is also expected to gain further momentum with implementation of the Centre’s Vision Document on Drug Control (2026–29), which adopts a network-centric strategy aimed at identifying and dismantling entire trafficking chains.
Officials said the emphasis on coordinated intelligence, financial investigations and action against the wider ecosystem could help agencies move from merely intercepting drug consignments to disrupting the networks that finance, facilitate and sustain the narcotics trade.