Over 5 lakh cannabis plants worth Rs 75 crore destroyed in Tripura anti-narcotics drive

Security forces in Tripura have destroyed over five lakh cannabis (ganja) plants worth an estimated Rs 75 crore in one of the largest crackdowns on illegal cultivation in the state, officials said.
The large-scale joint operation was carried out on February 1 in the Dulunga forest area under Sonamura subdivision of Sepahijala district following specific intelligence inputs. The operation lasted nearly eight hours, from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm.
During the raid, security personnel detected and destroyed 92 separate cannabis cultivation plots spread over around 170 acres of forest land. All the plants were uprooted and destroyed on the spot, officials said.
Teams from Sonamura Police Station, the Sepahijala District Armed Police, multiple battalions of the Border Security Force (BSF), the Tripura State Rifles (TSR), the Sonamura Forest Division and other allied agencies participated in the operation.
Senior officials said coordinated drives against illegal cannabis cultivation would continue to curb drug trafficking and prevent encroachment and misuse of forest land. Investigations are underway to identify those involved in the illegal plantations.
In a separate operation on January 29, security forces destroyed illegal cannabis plantations spread across nearly 65 acres of forest land in Sonamura subdivision. Acting on credible intelligence, a joint team conducted a nine-hour operation in the forest areas of Kamalanagar, Krishnadola, Dulunga and Bijoy Nagar.
During the operation, personnel detected and razed 41 plots containing around 1.80 lakh mature cannabis plants, with the destroyed crop estimated to be worth approximately Rs 27 crore.
That operation involved personnel from Sonamura Police Station, the 81 Battalion of the BSF, the 5th, 9th, 11th and 14th Battalions of the TSR, the 14th Battalion Women TSR, the 35 Battalion Assam Rifles and other security agencies.