Nagaland battles 1.2 lakh drug users as north-east states unite against narcotics threat

A regional anti-narcotics conference in Chumoukedima on November 13 has laid bare the scale of the drug crisis gripping India's north-eastern states, with Nagaland alone reporting an estimated 120,000 users of heroin known locally as 'shaanflower'.

The two-day gathering of Anti-Narcotics Task Force heads from north-eastern states, Sikkim and West Bengal, at the Police Complex revealed how the region's 1,643-kilometre porous border with Myanmar and its proximity to the Golden Triangle have made it extremely vulnerable to drug trafficking.

Nagaland's Director General of Police Rupin Sharma told delegates that drug trafficking had evolved beyond a law-and-order problem into a direct threat to internal security and youth welfare. The drugs and money flowing through these routes feed organised crime, insurgency and narco-terrorism networks, he warned.

Sharma proposed establishing a dedicated North-East Anti-Drug Trafficking Agency headed by a director general to coordinate inter-state intelligence, manage border surveillance and oversee rehabilitation programmes. He called for urgent investment in communication surveillance capabilities, including analysis of call detail records, internet protocol detail records, darknet monitoring and cryptocurrency tracking.

The DGP unveiled plans for a "Nasha Mukt Bharat Helpline and Reward System" offering round-the-clock anonymous reporting of drug activities with multi-lingual support and financial incentives ranging from information on small dealers to major trafficking cartels.

Narcotics Control Bureau Director General Anurag Garg highlighted that a 2019 survey by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment showed higher drug abuse rates in north-eastern states compared with other regions. He said the major heroin influx into the region originates from Myanmar, with some insurgent organisations and criminal groups involved in production and trafficking.

The conference focused on strengthening forensic infrastructure with new laboratories, mobile units and advanced technology, including DNA profiling and mass spectrometry for faster drug analysis. Participants also discussed targeting drug kingpins, real-time intelligence sharing and improving prosecution rates in narcotics cases.

Officials from the Narcotics Control Bureau, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and police departments across the region attended the conference. R Sudhakar, Deputy Director General of the NCB's North-Eastern Region, emphasised the need for states to unite against the common threat.