Transit route to manufacturing unit: Where are the big fishes ?
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 26 2019 -

Poppy cultivation in the hills, transit route to rest of India and beyond from the Golden Triangle to now a drug manufacturing unit plum in the heart of Thoubal district and it is more than clear that Manipur ranks high up there on the map of drugs.

No hills and valley divide here and no community divide either.

Plant poppy in the hills, manufacture drugs in the valley area, smuggle them across the Imphal-Moreh route and suddenly it is all about ‘hill-valley ties’ with even an international flavour via Myanmar.

Clearly joining the global village !

Except that there is nothing to bask about here but time for all to seriously start asking some disturbing questions.

Apart from the police and NAB personnel cracking down on drug smuggling, there is the Assam Rifles which have been routinely seizing drugs along the Imphal-Moreh route.

Very often one comes across news of drugs being seized along the highway and the war on drugs seems to be real, very real, with Chief Minister N Biren felicitating police personnel who had a hand in cracking the drug manufacturing unit recently.

All fine and good, for here is the State doing its job, but unfortunately no one seems to know what happens later after the drugs have been confiscated.

Apart from the arrest made on the spot, nothing much is heard about the follow up action.

The media too has abysmally failed to follow up on the stories leaving everyone under the impression that the initial arrest is more than good enough.

So while the Government may pat its own back, questions still linger on whether the initial arrest is enough.

On August 17, 184.644 Kgs of ‘suspected’ heroin and brown were seized after busting a drug manufacturing unit at Moijing Awang Leikai in Thoubal.

The cost of the seized drugs was pegged at Rs 166.6 crore and one man was reportedly arrested.

Now nearly ten days down the line and no one seems to know whether the seized stuffs were really heroin and brown sugar, for remember in its initial report the police had said ‘suspected’ heroin and brown sugar.

Moreover was the arrest of one man, probably a small fry who was caught when the drug manufacturing unit was busted, enough ?

What are the follow ups ? No more arrest made ?

Then again not so long back another consignment of drugs worth Rs 10 crore was seized from Thoubal district.

What has happened to that case ? Are the police still investigating ?

Again on August 24 WY tablets worth Rs 400 crore in the market were seized with two arrests including an international drug baron.

Good job done, one may say, but is the arrest of two persons enough ?

Will the case be allowed to die its own natural death ?

Worth Rs 400 crore and more than indicative that there are big fishes involved. Who are they ?

So far the arrests made have all been the petty, local drug pushers, those willing to stick their neck out and transport the drugs for a fee along the highway, while the barons, those financing the smuggling business are known to no one.

The Government definitely need to do more and answer the unanswered questions so far.