Israeli Tourist Arrested for Drug Possession at India’s Kashmir Border

An Israeli tourist, 24-year-old Adir Yemini, was arrested by Indian police on Thursday in the Zanskar region of Ladakh, near the Kashmir border, on suspicion of drug possession. The arrest occurred during a routine checkpoint inspection at Kargyak, a remote mountainous area in northern India bordering China and Pakistan. Authorities found substances suspected to be charas (a cannabis resin common in northern India), cannabis flowers, and a heroin-like material in his possession. Yemini was taken to the local police station, and a criminal case was opened against him under Indian narcotics laws. The seized substances were sent for laboratory analysis to determine their exact nature and quantity. Indian police are investigating whether this was an isolated incident or linked to a larger drug trafficking network. Zanskar is a remote Himalayan valley popular with Israeli backpackers, especially between June and September after military service. The Kargyak checkpoint is a key local police inspection point aimed at combating drug trafficking in the region’s difficult terrain.