Manipur: 113 acres of poppy cultivation destroyed in anti-narcotics drive

Imphal: Security Forces, comprising Assam Rifles, the CRPF, and Manipur Police, with the assistance of the state Forest Department, destroyed poppy plants cultivated over a total area of approximately 113 acres at multiple locations in two tribal-dominated districts on Friday.

The Manipur Police reported on Saturday that a joint team destroyed illegal plantations at the Lamlai Chingphei Hill Range in Ukhrul District; the Thawai Kuki (Mapithel) Hill Range in Ukhrul District; the Phalee & Tora Village Hill Range in Ukhrul District; and the Kachai Thikor Hill Range in Ukhrul District.

Ten farm huts found at the sites of poppy plantations were destroyed by setting them on fire.

With this, a total of 32 huts set up in the poppy fields have been set on fire during the past four days. Moreover, 213 acres of poppy plants were destroyed across two tribal districts—Kangpokpi and Ukhrul.

In the second phase of the operation, the joint team destroyed 5 acres of illicit poppy cultivation, with a potential yield of 30 kilograms of opium worth multiple crores, and recovered 10 spent cartridges of 7.62 mm caliber during a joint anti-narcotics operation at Shonglung of Kangpokpi District.

The joint team also destroyed approximately 25 acres of illicit poppy cultivation, with a potential yield of 190 kilograms of opium worth multiple crores, in the Awlmun area of Kangpokpi District.