The authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday said there has been a significant increase in enforcement actions in drug-related crimes, with 2,897 arrests and 350 detentions made in 1,978 drug-related cases over a 15-month period in the union territory. In 2024 alone, 1,514 cases were registered, resulting in 2,260 arrests and 274 detentions under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, they said. "For the first quarter of 2025 (January to March), 464 cases were registered, leading to 637 arrests and 76 detentions," they added.

The authorities also seized properties of drug dealers worth Rs 12 crore in cases involving narcotics in commercial quantities. Asserting that efforts to combat the menace of drugs and raise public awareness on the issue are ongoing, the authorities said in 2023-2024, poppy crops on 273 acres of land and cannabis on 1,642 acres of land were destroyed.