Manipur police arrest two, seize heroin and destroy poppy fields in coordinated anti-drug drive

A series of coordinated operations over two days has highlighted the scale of the narcotics problem in Manipur, with police and security agencies intercepting heroin consignments and destroying a large tract of illegal poppy cultivation.

On January 19, security forces arrested a 65-year-old man, Hriili Kaihrii, at the Phougakchao Ikhai Bazar checkpoint in Bishnupur district.

Kaihrii, a resident of Mayangkhang Khunou in Kangpokpi district, was found carrying eight soap cases containing suspected heroin powder weighing about 94 grams. The arrest was made under the jurisdiction of Phougakchao Ikhai police station.

A day earlier, on January 18, Manipur Police arrested 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 refined and highly addictive form of the drug.

Alongside these arrests, authorities also targeted the source of illicit narcotics. On January 19, a joint team comprising security forces, the forest department, officials from the Narcotics Affairs Bureau and an executive magistrate carried out a large-scale destruction drive at Dampi under Sangaikot police station in Churachandpur district.

Around 22 acres of poppy cultivation were uprooted and destroyed. Three temporary huts found at the site were set on fire, and 10 samples of poppy plants with pods were seized for evidence.

Officials said the operations reflect an intensified push against both drug trafficking and illegal cultivation, as enforcement agencies attempt to curb the narcotics supply chain that continues to pose serious social and security challenges in the state.