State fast-tracking towards becoming drug making hub
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: June 16, 2022 -

YET again, busting of a drug manufacturing unit at Moijing Mina bazar in Thoubal district on Tuesday and recovery of 222.85kg of Brown Sugar along with materials used in operating the factory underscores that the law enforcement agencies will have to galvanise all available resources and strengthen the intelligence networks for success of the 'war on drugs' campaign of the government.

Without an iota of doubt, the police raid, recovery of the psychotropic drugs along with drug making materials and arrest of a woman would be recorded as a significant achievement in the 'War against Drugs' campaign.

As per the policy of the present regime, the involved police personnel, too, would be rewarded by the government in recognition of the successful crackdown and to encourage the police to lead the campaign against the drug menace.

While there is possibility that the drug factory which was operating in a densely populated locality of Moijing Bazar was discovered and busted owing to information fed by concerned citizen(s), the worrying aspect of the incident is that certain pockets in Thoubal district, which have substantial population of a particular community, have gained notoriety as hotspots of the drug menace.

Among some recent cases of drug factory busts and recoveries in Thoubal district, over 100 kilograms of brown sugar were seized during a police raid back in June 2019, followed by seizure of 430-plus kg of brown sugar and 438 litres of morphiated liquid in October 2020; 565 gm of heroin, 1104 kg of brown sugar and 5 kg of opium in March 2021; and 154 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 54 kg of heroin in December 2021.

While such frequent seizures of psychotropic drugs showcase diligent discharge of duty by the law enforcement agencies to take the 'war on drugs' campaign to its logical conclusion, the drug manufacturing units found operated mainly in and around Lilong area of Thoubal district would definitely compel concerned citizens to cast aspersions as to whether drug manufacturing and trading has moral and physical support of the local community.

Taking into account that many of the busted factories used to be operational in residential areas it is but natural to suspect either the operators of drug-making units are imperious and menacing or the local populace are disdainful of the government's initiative to save the future generation from falling prey to substance abuse.

Apart from seizing of the huge quantity of brown sugar during the Moijing Bazar raid, the items recovered consisted of multiple large-size utensils, plastic containers, sacks, wooden crushing machine, electric-powered mixing machine, weighing machine, chemicals, gas burner and LPG cylinder.

Concentration of such items and equipment in a single residential campus also implies that the immediate neighbours are in no mood to help the authorities in tackling the drug menace. Thus, there is no second option left for the government but to intensify the 'war on drugs' campaign.

As brown sugar is an adulterated form of heroin and is a synthetic opioid derived from the morphine extracted from poppy plants, it is imperative that the government authorities spare no efforts to effectively prevent plantation of poppies, failing which it could be safely stated that the campaign will only cause frustration among law enforcement personnel and turn Manipur into a major psychotropic drug producing state.