Meghalaya govt confirms children being used in Shillong drug trade

Guwahati: The Meghalaya government has confirmed that children are being used to sell drugs in parts of Shillong, according to The Shillong Times.

Social Welfare Department adviser Paul Lyngdoh said this on Thursday after meeting senior officers of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), adding that the government has received serious reports of minors involved in drug selling in Mawlai.

He said the government has received serious reports of minors being involved in drug selling in Mawlai.

Lyngdoh stated that tackling the drug problem will require stronger cooperation between the Meghalaya Police, the ANTF, and local communities.

He also pointed out that Shillong lacks enough Village Defence Parties. Despite having a population of around six lakh, the city has only 12 VDPs.

He confirmed that Mawlai is one of the main drug-affected areas in the state and added that the problem has spread across all districts.

According to him, Shillong and East Jaintia Hills are currently the most affected regions.

Lyngdoh informed ANTF officials that new information has come in about groups pushing drugs in different pockets of the city.

He did not reveal the locations but said he had asked the police and ANTF to act together due to the seriousness of the issue. He also mentioned that the ANTF is now covering more locations than before.

He added that several commercial zones, including the route leading to Motphran, are highly exposed to drug activities, and the government has asked the ANTF to focus on this stretch.

Speaking about his West Shillong constituency, Lyngdoh said drug trafficking is common near the Cantonment and that they have already reached out to Cantonment authorities and formed a VDP to improve vigilance.