Private airline official held with heroin in Leh; probe into airport-drug syndicate nexus underway

Leh, Jul 13 (PTI) The Anti-Narcotics Task Force on Monday arrested the aircraft maintenance engineer of a private airline here after recovering heroin from his possession, officials said. The arrest of 22-year-old Ajay Thakur, a resident of Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh, has triggered a wider investigation into the suspected nexus between airport personnel and drug syndicates operating in the region, the officials said. Thakur was travelling in a private car when he was intercepted by a team of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) on routine patrolling duty, which seized 2.27 grams of heroin from his possession, they said. Subsequently, they said, an FIR under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered at the ANTF police station against Thakur. The officials said the recovery once again underlined the administration's resolve to dismantle every link in the narcotics supply chain. The development follows a series of successful ANTF operations in recent weeks that have exposed the growing interstate network of drug traffickers attempting to target the youth of Ladakh. “The investigation is now focused on establishing the source of the contraband and identifying the possible links between airport employees, interstate suppliers and local drug peddlers. “The investigating agencies are examining whether the accused was acting independently or as part of a larger network involved in facilitating the movement and distribution of narcotic substances in Ladakh,” an official said. He added that since the beginning of 2026, law enforcement agencies across the Union territory have registered 33 NDPS cases, arrested 27 accused persons, and seized a wide range of narcotic and psychotropic substances, reflecting the growing scale of enforcement against organised drug networks. Official data show that security and enforcement agencies seized 3.523 kg of charas, 4.9 kg of ganja, 40.39 gm of heroin, 1.709 kg of brown sugar, 289 mg of cocaine, besides other narcotic substances during various operations conducted across the Union territory. Among the districts, Leh registered 13 NDPS cases with 17 arrests, followed by Kargil (5 cases, 2 arrests), Changthang (5 cases, 5 arrests), Nubra (3 cases, 1 arrest), Zanskar (2 cases, no arrest), Drass (2 cases, no arrest) and ANTF (7 cases, 2 arrests). Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has repeatedly directed the law enforcement agencies to intensify intelligence-led operations against drug trafficking, dismantle interstate supply chains and take stringent action against every individual involved in the illegal narcotics trade. He also emphasised the need for greater public participation, urging citizens, parents, educational institutions, religious organisations and civil society groups to encourage and help vulnerable youth stay away from drugs. PTI TAS SKL ARI ARI