386 drug peddlers arrested in Manipur in 2019

A total of 386 drug peddlers, including 68 women, were arrested in the state in 2019, a report by the Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) unit of the Manipur Police has revealed. Among other narcotics, World is Yours (WY), which comes in unlabelled packets, seemed to be the most popular among the users, as 65,60,531 tablets of the methamphetamine- based drug was confiscated, it said.

In 2018, law enforcers had seized 12,15,273 WY pills. The report also stated that 3,015 acres of poppy plantation and 19.51 acres of marijuana were destroyed during the year. One acre of poppy crop yields at least 10 kg opium.

W Basu Singh, the superintendent of police of NAB, said one of the major reasons why the menace in the state showed no signs of let up was the "financial prospects" involved in drug trafficking. Despite awareness campaigns, farmers continue to cultivate poppy, mostly in the hill districts of the state, due to lure of "quick money", he told PTI.

"As part of the state's 'War Against Drugs' campaign, we thought it was best not to divulge the monetary value of the narcotics seized as several people take to drug trafficking to earn quick money," Basu added. Poppy cultivation is banned in Manipur under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.