Controversial Churachandpur-Kangpokpi Road – Necessity or Conduit for Illicit Trade

Manipur is a critical node in the global drug trade due to its proximity to Myanmar’s Golden Triangle, encompassing Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand. This is the main reason why former CM Nongthombam Biren Singh started a momentous campaign, War on Drugs, in November 2018 to combat the escalating drug menace threatening the state’s youth and societal fabric. The state was successful in the campaign and was on the path to protect future generations by destroying thousands of acres of poppy plantations, seizing drugs worth over Rs 70,000 crore. However, the two controversial roads connecting Churachandpur and Kangpokpi have renewed the drug smuggling in the state. 

Alarmed by the escalating drug crisis in Naga areas, the Foothills Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) has imposed an indefinite bandh on Kuki movement in Naga-inhabited foothill regions of Manipur. The unauthorised German and Tiger roads encroach on Naga land rights, while Kuki militant camps under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement jeopardise regional security. Unchecked poppy cultivation in the foothills drives drug abuse and criminal activity, threatening the social fabric and environmental stability of Naga communities

The state’s porous border facilitates two primary smuggling routes: one from Mandalay, Myanmar, through Monywa and Kalewa, splitting toward Tamu-Moreh into Manipur or southward via Rih-Champhai into Mizoram; the other from Bhamo, Kachin State, through Homalin in Sagaing Region, entering Nagaland and extending to Assam, Kolkata, and beyond. Traversing the rugged Shan Hills and Tiddim in Chin State, these routes sustain a vicious cycle: opium grown along Manipur hills is smuggled to Myanmar for heroin production, to be trafficked back to the State as heroin and other contraband drugs. 

Post Manipur violence, drug seizures in Kangpokpi and Senapati have surged over the past two years, signalling a shift to the newly opened Churachandpur-Kangpokpi corridor along illegally constructed roads. An insider report from Kangpokpi reveals the economic pull: post-2023 violence, opium prices doubled from Rs 65,000–70,000 to Rs 1,20,000–1,50,000, with couriers earning Rs 2,000 per packet or Rs 5,000–10,000 daily.

The operational ease is alarming—vehicles like Tata Sumos receive a “green signal” from volunteers acting as a Road Opening Party (ROP) to ensure safe passage. Without this clearance, travel is risky. These routes, lacking checkposts or security inspections, are “free roads” controlled by Kuki militants until vehicles reach Kangpokpi, where central forces and local police conduct checks. Buyers, primarily non-locals and Muslims from Dimapur as well as Nagas from Senapati, purchase these banned drugs, fueling the trade’s profitability, the report added. 

The role of Kuki militants in poppy cultivation and drug smuggling is deeply concerning. In periods of relaxed law and order, particularly during Kuki-Meitei conflicts, groups like the Kuki National Front (KNF-MC and KNF-P) exploit the vacuum, encouraging locals to participate in the drug trade with economic incentives while taxing profits. Evidence suggests these activities fund terrorist operations against India. For instance, Lemtingsei Singson, Commander-in-Chief of the KNO-Seiphu faction, was apprehended near Phaitol village with 125 grams of suspected illegal drugs a few months ago.

The violence that erupted on May 3, 2023, disrupted National Highways like Moreh to Imphal via Kangpokpi, forcing traffickers to adapt. The newly created illegal Churachandpur-Kangpokpi road has become a haven for drug mafias. On July 10, 2025, a joint Manipur Police and CRPF operation seized 2.193 kg of brown sugar, packed in 196 soap cases and valued at Rs 18 crore, from a black Scorpio at Tupul Bridge. The vehicle’s occupants, Holminlen Khongsai, 30, of Chandel, and Ginminlen Haokip, 24, of Kangpokpi, were arrested after ASI Akbar Huissain’s team acted on intelligence. Ginminlen Haokip initially denied the contraband but later admitted it was hidden in a modified rooftop chamber, exposing the sophistication of smuggling operations.

This seizure reflects a broader pattern. On March 29, 2025, four poppy cultivators—Janggoulen Kipgen, 41, Letginlal Kipgen, 41, Kamginlen Kipgen, 25, and Thangminlen Kipgen, 34—were arrested in Songjang village, Kangpokpi, for illegal poppy cultivation along IT Road. The same day, six traffickers—Khaikahao Kipgen, 40, Letgoumang Touthang, 33, Aabi Baral, 28, Jitten Kharka, 22, L H Ranirou, 42, and Leah Chao, 44—were apprehended with 174 soap cases of suspected brown sugar, including 100 soap cases of heroin weighing 4.080 kg.

On May 24, 2025, Doukholet Hanghal, 52, was arrested in Mongkot Khopi village, Churachandpur, with 870 grams of brown sugar (Rs 1.74 crore), 20 soap cases of heroin (Rs 52 lakh), Rs 29.5 lakh in cash, two radio sets, and a mobile phone. Similarly, Chigenvung, 46, was arrested in Tangnuam village with 289 grams of brown sugar (Rs 60 lakh), Rs 8 lakh in cash, and a mobile phone. On July 10, 2025, Ajmir Sarif, 19, and Iliyas Ali Shah from Thoubal were also arrested at Tupul Bridge.

A significant operation on July 16, 2025, at Sajik Tampak, Chandel, a hub in the TonZang–Churachandpur–Kangpokpi–Dimapur corridor, saw Assam Rifles seize 50.5 kg of opium (Rs 2.52 crore), 1.24 crore Kyat, and Rs 2 lakh in Indian cash from two abandoned motorcycles. This highlights the corridor’s (Singheu to Kangpokpi via Churachandpur) growing role in linking Myanmar’s drug hubs to Manipur and beyond.

While some Kuki and Zo bodies have highlighted the humanitarian necessity of these unauthorised roads—connecting Churachandpur, Kangpokpi (German-Tiger), Chandel, and Tengnoupal (Singheu)—for civilian mobility post-2023 violence, their exploitation for drug smuggling is undeniable, as evidenced by the Rs 18 crore and Rs 2.52 crore seizures. 

Having said that, we should understand the problems faced by common people, their acute sufferings due to restrictions on free movement along the National Highways by some Kuki CSOs. A Kuki nursing student from Keithelmanbi in Kangpokpi District illustrates the roads’ importance: a 120-km trip to Churachandpur, previously 3.40 hours, now takes 2–3 days and over 1,000 km via Nagaland, Assam, and Mizoram, costing more than Rs 10,000. Yet, the illegal construction of these roads, encroaching on reserve forest lands and Naga territory, has sparked protests from various Naga groups, citing rising crime and drug smuggling, encroaching on their ancestral lands, leading to restrictions on Kuki movement. Reports of proposed Kuki camps under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement along these routes further threaten to create safe havens for militants and drug smugglers, risking renewed Naga-Kuki tensions. 

Manipur’s drug crisis is a complex interplay of geography, conflict, and socio-economic despair. The unfenced Myanmar border, particularly in Churachandpur, facilitates smuggling, while local poppy cultivation fuels the supply chain. The involvement of Kuki, Muslim, and other communities post Manipur violence has exposed the drug trade’s reach, exploiting economic vulnerabilities. Manipur Police, CRPF, and Assam Rifles have made commendable efforts, but the absence of checkposts and reliance on volunteer ROPs create near-lawless “Tiger” and “German” roads, allowing traffickers to operate freely until Kangpokpi.

Closing these controversial roads is important and critical, as their continued operation grants free rein to drug traffickers and could reignite ethnic conflicts once more. Despite commendable efforts by Manipur Police, CRPF, and Assam Rifles, enforcement alone cannot dismantle this complex web of geography, conflict, and militant profiteering. Without decisive action, Manipur risks becoming an entrenched stronghold for drug mafias and militancy, jeopardising regional security and the future of its people. The persistence of these illegal roads will further challenge the War on Drugs, entrenching the narco-trade’s grip on the region.