JAMMU: Three suspected inter-state drug peddlers were arrested on Tuesday following the recovery of 680 kg poppy straw worth lakhs from their Punjab-bound truck, an official here said.

The truck, which arrived from the Kashmir Valley, was intercepted at the transport yard, leading to the recovery of the contraband substance, a spokesperson for the Anti-Narcotics Task Force said.

The task force is a specialised unit of Jammu and Kashmir Police set up to check the rising drugs menace in the Union Territory.

Driver Javid Shah, co-driver Abid Shah and another occupant Irfan Bukhari, all residents of Rajouri district, were arrested and booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the spokesperson said.

"Preliminary investigations revealed that the arrested inter-state drug peddlers were heading for Punjab... We are investigating forward and backward links of this racket," the spokesperson added.