A large-scale joint operation across Manipur has led to the destruction of nearly 17 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in two districts, signalling one of the state’s most extensive anti-narcotics actions in recent months. The crackdown took place ahead of winter, a period when illicit poppy farming typically intensifies.
The coordinated effort involved security forces, district administration teams and the Forest Division in Machi. On 21 November, personnel cleared approximately 10 acres of poppy fields located in the Machi hill range under Machi Police Station in Tengnoupal district.
A day prior, enforcement teams targeting illegal cultivation in Tamenglong district dismantled around 7 acres of plantations in the Thengjang and Lasan areas under Tamei Police Station.
Along with the poppy fields, officers also destroyed infrastructure supporting the illegal activity, including four makeshift huts used by growers. Additionally, four bags of urea and 107 packets of salt stored at the site were seized and destroyed, materials believed to have been used to support and accelerate cultivation.
Officials described the actions as part of a sustained campaign to break the illegal narcotics supply chain and deter organised cultivation networks operating in remote hill areas. They added that similar coordinated operations will continue in the coming weeks as enforcement agencies intensify surveillance against poppy farming and its linked trafficking routes.
