Imphal, Jan 16: Security forces, in coordination with the Forest Department and supported by the district administration, dismantled and destroyed nearly 10 acres of illegal poppy plantations in the Suangkong hill range of Manipur’s Churachandpur district on January 16, officials said. The action was taken as part of an intensified campaign against narcotics cultivation in vulnerable hill and forest areas.
The operation was conducted in the jurisdiction of Behiang police station and was carried out under the supervision of an Executive Magistrate, underscoring administrative oversight in the anti-drug drive. Along with uprooting the poppy crops, the joint team also recovered and destroyed various materials used in cultivation, including urea, salt, spraying equipment and other farming tools found at the site.
Officials said such remote hill ranges have increasingly been used for illicit poppy farming due to their difficult terrain and forest cover. The latest operation, they added, is aimed at breaking the supply chain linked to illegal drug production and sending a clear warning to those involved in narcotics-related activities.
Reiterating their resolve, the authorities said similar coordinated operations will continue in the coming days to protect forest land, restore ecological balance and curb drug networks that threaten public health and national security.
