Imphal, Feb 25: n a decisive strike against the illicit narcotics trade, a combined team of security personnel and state officials carried out a major destruction drive targeting illegal poppy cultivation in Manipur’s Senapati district on February 24. Acting on precise intelligence, the joint task force—comprising security forces, Forest Department officials, and an Executive Magistrate—converged on the Sadim Hill Range within the jurisdiction of the Senapati Police Station. Upon arrival, the team identified and uperooted approximately eight acres of standing poppy crops that were being grown unlawfully across a significant tract of land.
The operation was conducted with strict adherence to legal protocols, with the destruction of the plantation carried out on-site in the presence of the Executive Magistrate to ensure transparency and procedural integrity. Beyond the eradication of the crops, the team dismantled two makeshift huts that investigators believe served as shelters for the cultivators. The thoroughness of the crackdown was further evidenced by the destruction of essential farming infrastructure found at the scene, including a spray pump, irrigation pipes, and a water storage container, all of which pointed toward an organized and well-equipped effort to maintain the illegal plantation.
Authorities have emphasized that this latest intervention is a critical component of an intensified, ongoing campaign to eliminate poppy cultivation across the state’s hill districts. These illicit agricultural activities are frequently linked to wider regional drug trafficking networks and the broader narcotics trade. While the immediate threat at Sadim Hill Range has been neutralized, investigations remain active as officials work to identify the individuals responsible for the cultivation and trace their connections to larger criminal syndicates.
