Imphal, Jan 28: Security forces destroyed around five acres of illegal poppy cultivation in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district on January 27, marking another step in the state’s sustained crackdown on the narcotics supply chain.
Officials said the poppy fields were detected and destroyed in the hill ranges of Machi under Machi Police Station during a coordinated operation by security agencies. The action formed part of a wider multi-agency drive aimed at dismantling drug networks operating across Manipur, from cultivation to trafficking.
The destruction followed a series of significant seizures and arrests earlier in the month, highlighting the scale of the drug problem in the state. On January 19, security personnel arrested a 65-year-old man, identified as Hriili Kaihrii, at the Phougakchao Ikhai Bazar checkpoint in Bishnupur district. Kaihrii, a resident of Mayangkhang Khunou in Kangpokpi district, was allegedly found carrying eight soap cases containing suspected heroin powder weighing about 94 grams. The case was registered under Phougakchao Ikhai Police Station.
A day earlier, on January 18, Manipur Police apprehended Md Ajmir Hussain, 39, from the Tengdongyan area under Sekmai Police Station in Imphal West district. Hussain, a resident of Chingdong Leikai in Jiribam district, was allegedly in possession of 310 grams of heroin No. 4, a highly refined and potent narcotic.
Authorities also intensified efforts to eliminate narcotics at the source. On January 19, a joint team comprising security forces, the Forest Department, officials of the Narcotics Affairs Bureau and an executive magistrate carried out a large-scale poppy destruction drive at Dampi under Sangaikot Police Station in Churachandpur district. During the operation, around 22 acres of illegal poppy cultivation were uprooted and destroyed.
Officials said three temporary huts erected at the cultivation site were set on fire, while 10 samples of poppy plants along with pods were seized for evidentiary purposes and further investigation.
Senior officials stated that the back-to-back operations reflected a sharpened enforcement strategy aimed at disrupting the entire narcotics supply chain. They reiterated that such coordinated drives would continue in a sustained manner to address the serious law-and-order, health and social challenges posed by illegal drugs in Manipur.
