Smuggling drugs via Manipur & drug cartels
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 15, 2022 -
Though quite disturbing, it has confirmed the general suspicion that some powerful drug cartels are thriving in the State.
We are referring to the news report about the arrest of a man in Delhi along with 4 Kgs of heroin worth Rs 20 crore in international market a few days back.
The drug consignment was smuggled to Delhi from Myanmar through Manipur and the arrested man was no petty or ordinary drug peddler but a member of an international drug cartel which is active in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur and Assam.
By simply taking note of the reports of seizure drugs in different parts of the State and seizure of drugs in other States which either originated from Manipur or passed through the State, one can safely guess that not one but many inter-State and international drug cartels are thriving in the State.
There have been numerous reports of seizure of several types of drugs in different parts of India which had their origin in Manipur or passed through the State.
If one collates all such reports, a very disturbing picture emerges; a grim picture of Manipur being a very convenient hotspot and/or route for illicit drug trafficking.
International watch dogs on drugs trade have affirmed that Manipur is the opium producer for the infamous Golden Triangle.
Apart from supplying raw material (opium) to the Golden Triangle for manufacturing different narcotic drugs, Manipur is fast becoming a drug manufacturing centre, if the discovery and busting of drug manufacturing units as reported in media from time to time are any indication.
Even if the drug manufacturing units are not very well organised or well equipped at the moment, emergence of drug manufacturing factories in the State is only a matter of time.
If we look at the files of police stations located across the State, a considerable portion of them would be about seizure of drugs but how seriously police investigate into these cases is anybody's imagination.
The situation is growing from bad to worse.
Every case or seizure of drugs demands a very thorough and impartial investigation. The investigation must go down to the very bottom otherwise drug cartels may grow into most powerful groups in the society.
Till some years back, Manipur only served as a transit route for smuggling drugs from the infamous Golden Triangle to mainland India and elsewhere.
But today, poppy plantations on commercial scale and clandestine drug manufacturing units have become an ugly reality in the State.
When the main raw material (opium/poppy) is cultivated across vast hill ranges within the State, emergence of factories which run on this raw material is only a natural corollary.
Before such well equipped factories start manufacturing drugs on the soil of Manipur, the Government and all stakeholders need to act with a firm determination on war-footing.
A foolproof mechanism must also be put in place for effective, coordination among different States where the inter-State drug cartels are active.
No doubt, the Government of Manipur has been waging a war on drugs and almost all communities of the State have pledged their support to the war.
If the war is gaining any ground and the communities are supporting the same war, the drug menace ought to come down but the ground reality tells a very different tale.
It would be a far reaching tragedy for one and all if the Government is fighting a losing war.
As pointed out repeatedly in this column earlier, the menace of drug is often all pervasive and disastrous.
Apart from draining the State's economy, it can corrupt an entire generation and destroy the very soul and spirit of a nation.
The Government and all stakeholders need to check if there any lapse or strategic flaw in the war on drugs.
For Manipur to survive and prosper, the war on drugs must end on a victorious note.
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