Taking the fight to the drug menace : Success stories noted, but ...
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: June 22, 2022 -

It should be obvious to all. It is going to be a long, drawn out war and the crucial question is whether Manipur has come anywhere near to winning it.

No easy answer here but there are questions that need some answers.

Are the three women arrested with 15 packets of opium and weighing more than 11 Kgs by Bishnupur police on June 20 the real owners of the drug consignment or were they nothing more than couriers, attempting to ferry the drugs on the basis of some payments they may have received ?

The answer is not yet forthcoming and herein lies the question of whether there will be further probes and if the findings will be made public.

These are answers the public would want and this can go a long way in instilling a sense of confidence in the war cry the Government has raised. This question has been raised not without reason.

So far none has heard of who the drug lords are after the huge drug haul cases, one example being the recent arrest of some people along with drug consignments on the Imphal-Dimapur highway by Kangpokpi police some time back.

The police is no doubt doing a good job, but it appears as if much more needs to be done.

The monetary incentives given to Thoubal police and Tengnoupal police for their recent crackdown on the drugs trade should be acknowledged and this is where it becomes important to remind all that follow up actions would be expected.

The busting of a heroin and brown sugar manufacturing unit at Moijing Mina Bazar by Thoubal police on June 14 should be publicly lauded, but one hopes the story does not end with this.

How many more are or were involved in setting up the drug manufacturing unit there at Moijing Mina Bazar ? Who is the kingpin ?

Are the people arrested while busting the drug manufacturing unit the end of it all ?

It goes without saying that it would take resources and connections to set up a drug manufacturing unit and this is not something which can be done by any fly by night operator.

Go after the big fishes. This is a line which The Sangai Express has been sticking to and there is no reason why this will change.

The drug menace is not something new to Manipur.

For decades it has been there and one indication that the drug cartel has always been keeping up with the changing trend of ‘drug consumption’ can be seen from the way the ‘drug profile’ in Manipur has been changing from the earlier days of podrom tablet, calmpose tablet, morphine injection, even dendrite, heroin, brown sugar to the latter World is Yours tablets etc.

It is in keeping with this reality that Chief Minister N Biren has launched the War on Drugs campaign and this is where the co-operation of all is needed.

With Manipur being located near to the infamous Golden Triangle just across the international boundary, the task at hand is tough.

This is where it would need everyone to extend whatever help they can to the Government to take the fight to the drug menace. That there could be some big hands behind the menace and the drug smuggling activities is something known to everyone.

The only hitch is, no one seems to know who they are.

The drug cartel is indeed well spread out, and one here is talking only about Manipur and it will need the combined efforts of everyone to make the War on Drugs meaningful and more effective.

Huge amount of drugs seized and it is only expected to hear the later developments.