Pak Drone Drops Rs 12 Cr Worth Heroin Near Jammu Border

Srinagar : Authorities on Thursday said that a round 2 kilograms of heroin worth nearly ₹ 12 crore was recovered from agricultural land close to the International Border (IB) with Pakistan in Bahadurpura village of Jammu’s Bishnah area. They called it another clear instance of cross‑border narcotics smuggling using drones.

Acting on specific inputs about suspicious aerial movement late Wednesday night, Jammu Police and the 101 Battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) launched a coordinated search operation, a spokesman said. He added that during the sweep, security personnel found a bag lying in the fields, secured with a rope and hook—an arrangement commonly used in drone‑based drops. “Inside were several small packets containing heroin”, he said.

Officials termed the recovery a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking along the border, especially given the village’s close proximity to Pakistan. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered at the Bishnah police station, and investigators are now working to trace both the supply chain across the border and the intended recipients within India. Police have urged residents, particularly those living in border‑adjacent areas, to remain alert and report any suspicious activity or information related to drug networks.

This incident adds to a growing list of drone‑assisted narcotics drops along the 198-km long IB and in parts of Line of Control (LoC). Just days earlier, security forces in Jammu recovered over 1.5 kg of heroin valued at more than ₹ 8 crore, also suspected to have been delivered by a Pakistani drone in the same Bahadurpura belt. In that case, a local farmer noticed an unusual package in his field, prompting a police response. Investigators later found that the drone had crossed into Indian territory under the cover of darkness—an increasingly common tactic used by smuggling networks, officials said.

Similar cases have been reported along the India-Pakistan border in other states. In Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district, authorities recently intercepted a drone‑dropped consignment containing 6.462 kg of heroin worth around ₹ 32 crore. The operation led to the arrest of one smuggler from Punjab, while others fled the scene. Officials have noted that Pakistan‑based syndicates are increasingly relying on drones to transport narcotics, weapons, and ammunition, exploiting remote terrain and low‑visibility conditions to evade detection.

As the recurring nature of these incidents underscores a widening security challenge for border forces, security agencies have intensified night‑time surveillance, deployed anti‑drone systems, and strengthened coordination between police and the BSF. Despite these measures, the adaptability of smuggling networks—combined with the ease and low cost of drone technology—continues to pose a serious threat, said an official in Jammu.