Robust anti-drug units must to nail kingpins
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: March 28, 2025 -

SEIZURE of large quantities of psychotropic drugs at regular intervals in the state underscores that the police department must empower and provide at-least compatible gadgets to its anti-drug units for effective curb on drug smuggling activities, especially in nailing the kingpins, who in maximum of the drug seizure cases, manage to evade arrest.

For now, the police have been relying on inputs fed by sleuths of anti-drug and other intelligence units in recovering drug consignments.

However, considering the fact that the drug smugglers have been devising various tactics with the intent to deceive the law enforcement agencies, it is imperative that police officers and personnel deployed for duty must be equipped with advanced drug detection kits to discharge their duty with high efficiency as prevention of drug trafficking is not merely for winning accolades and achieving better service record but to ensure that the youngsters do no fall prey to the menace of substance abuse.

Moreover, increasing instances of involvement of people of specific communities, which were not associated with drug smuggling in the past, testifies that the greed for easy money is making every section of the society vulnerable to be entrapped by the drug kingpins.

In fact, in a state like ours which has thousands of unemployed youths, it would be a tempting offer for many to turn down the opportunity of serving as drug carriers in exchange of handsome payment.

A recent Manipur police data pointing to drug smuggling as the second most reported crime after extortion as well as arrest of drug peddlers in the prime of their life also deepens the suspicion about possible involvement of scores of youngsters in the transportation of drugs.

As such, it could be safely stated that maintaining vigil by anti-drug units and sincerity of the personnel alone wouldn’t help in the effective prevention of transportation of drugs through the state for the drug syndicates are certain to adopt deceptive tactics to avert detection at police check points.

The latest arrest of three persons, including a women hailing from a Senapati district village, and their disclosure about the supplier and receiver of the drug consignments underscore existence of a strong network of smugglers.

As Manipur is currently struggling due to the ethnic violence and security personnel are manning check points cross the state, it is also questionable how the drug consignment originating from Moreh reached Sekmai undetected by security posts dotting the national highway.

Though impact from drug abuse is still a significant social and health issue in Manipur in-spite of the notable decline in the number of injecting drug users, the diverse population, large youth demographics, and economic disparities contribute to the complex nature of drug abuse in the state, thereby meriting sincere efforts from the anti-drug units in collaboration with all the security forces operating in the state.

Therefore, to prevent possible onset of substance use, yet again, all possible assistance must be extended and requirements of the anti-drug units must be addressed within short notice.

Moreover, collaboration with police of neighbouring states and beyond is essential in nailing the kingpins, especially in the wake of the three arrested peddlers identifying the supplier and the receiver of the seized consignment.