Chandigarh, Oct 11 (IANS): In a big blow to inter-state narcotic network, the Jammu and Kashmir Police and Punjab Police in a joint operation have apprehended one drug smuggler from Mullanpur Dakha in Punjab and seized Rs 4.94 crore along with 38 fake vehicle number plates and one revolver, Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said here on Wednesday.

He is one of the key accused in 30 kg heroin recently recovered in Jammu.

Investigations were on-going to establish the backward and forward linkages, Yadav added.

Punjab Police have arrested 20,979 drug smugglers, including 3,003 big fish, since July 5, 2022. The police have registered 15,434 FIRs of which 1,864 are related to commercial quantity, Inspector General of Police Sukhchain Singh Gill told the media here on Tuesday.

He said the police have recovered 15.10.55 kg heroin from across the state after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas, besides laying checkpoints at vulnerable routes.

Additionally, 147.5 kg heroin was recovered by Punjab Police from seaports of Gujarat and Maharashtra, taking the total effective recovery of heroin to 1,658.05 kg in just 15 months, Gill added.