Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Wednesday, 1 July reaffirmed his government's commitment to eliminating the drug menace, pledging a multi-agency, intelligence-driven offensive against narcotics trafficking that has long exploited the state's porous international border. The assurance came after a high-level meeting with Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Deputy Director General (Northeast Region) R. Sudhakar in Imphal.

What the CM-NCB Meeting Covered

According to an official from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), the meeting centred on three priorities: strengthening intelligence gathering, deepening coordination among state, Central, and international agencies, and ensuring more rigorous enforcement of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The goal, officials said, is to dismantle narcotics networks that have embedded themselves across the northeastern corridor.

Chief Minister Singh stated that the state is pursuing a comprehensive strategy combining enforcement operations with intelligence-based interdiction — a dual-track approach that officials argue is essential given the scale and sophistication of cross-border smuggling networks.

Why Manipur Is a Drug Trafficking Hotspot

Manipur's vulnerability is structural. Five of its districts — Churachandpur, Tengnoupal, Chandel, Kamjong, and Ukhrul — share a 398-km unfenced international border with Myanmar, a key node in the 'Golden Triangle', one of the world's largest illicit narcotics-producing regions. The absence of physical barriers along this stretch makes it a preferred corridor for traffickers moving heroin, methamphetamine, and other contraband into India.

Neighbouring Mizoram faces an even more exposed frontier, sharing a 510-km unfenced border with Myanmar and a 318-km unfenced border with Bangladesh. Law enforcement agencies have repeatedly detected trafficking networks operating across Manipur, Mizoram, and southern Assam, with smugglers using shifting routes to evade detection.

Recent Seizure Underscores the Threat

The scale of the problem was illustrated this week when Mizoram Police arrested two alleged drug peddlers from Assam's Cachar district and a woman from Manipur's Chandel district. The operation yielded a heroin consignment valued at more than ₹7.40 crore in the illegal market, according to a senior police official in Aizawl.

Notably, the arrested individuals spanned three states — a pattern that reflects the inter-state nature of trafficking networks and the difficulty of containing them within single-state enforcement frameworks.

DGP's Ground-Level Push

Manipur Director General of Police Mukesh Singh, who assumed charge as state police chief on 1 June, has since been conducting extensive district-level reviews with a specific focus on anti-narcotics operations. During interactions with district police officials, the DGP directed them to intensify intelligence-based operations, dismantle smuggling networks, and prevent the further spread of narcotics abuse.

DGP Singh also reached out to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across both the Imphal Valley and the hill districts, urging them to support the state's anti-drug campaign through public awareness drives and coordinated community initiatives.

What Comes Next

The renewed Centre-state coordination signals that the fight against narcotics in the Northeast is being elevated beyond routine policing to a strategic, multi-agency priority. With the Golden Triangle supply chain showing no signs of contraction, the effectiveness of this push will depend on sustained intelligence sharing and cross-border diplomatic pressure — neither of which has a quick fix.