Imphal, Dec 30: Security agencies carried out a large-scale operation against illegal drug cultivation in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on December 29, demolishing poppy plantations spread across 35 acres in the hill ranges of Langkhong under Saisijang.
A joint team comprising Manipur Police, the Central Reserve Police Force, the Forest Department and the Narcotics Control Bureau conducted the crackdown after identifying the area as one of the biggest poppy-growing sites uncovered in the region this year.
During the operation, the team dismantled 12 temporary shelters believed to have been used by cultivators and destroyed large quantities of materials that sustained the illicit farming activity. Officials said 13 bags of fertiliser, 19 bottles of Roundup herbicide and 16 bags of salt were seized and burnt on the spot.
Security personnel also confiscated and destroyed cultivation equipment, including spray machines, irrigation pipes and other chemicals, to ensure the site could not be reused for poppy farming.
Authorities described the action as a major setback to the illegal opium economy in the hill districts, which has been linked to wider drug trafficking networks across the Northeast. Surveillance in the surrounding areas has been stepped up to prevent any attempt to revive cultivation.
No arrests were made during the raid, as those involved had vacated the fields before the forces arrived. Officials said investigations were continuing to trace and identify the individuals behind the plantation.
