Anti-drug campaign intensifies in Manipur, 110 acres of opium destroyed

Imphal: Security forces in Manipur destroyed about 110 acres of illegal opium cultivation spread across hill slopes in three border districts, which is expected to yield opium worth about Rs 3.3 crore, officials said on Thursday.

The operation is part of the “War Against Drugs” campaign being run by the Manipur government and security forces to tackle the rampant illegal opium cultivation in the hilly areas of the state.

Police said a joint team of security forces, the Forest Department, and the Executive Magistrate destroyed about 15 acres of opium fields on January 14, 2026, in the Lungphu Hill Range under the Phungyar police station in Kamjong district, which borders Myanmar in the southeast.

On January 13, 2026, thirty acres of poppy fields were also destroyed in the Sadim Hills Range under the Senapati Police Station in Senapati district, which borders Nagaland to the north.

Police further reported that on the same day, 65 acres of poppy fields were destroyed in the Gowok Hill Range under the Chakpikrong Police Station in Chandel district, which borders Myanmar to the south.

Two temporary huts with poppy pods and seeds were found at the scene and destroyed. No arrests were made during the operation.

The report states that several cases have been registered with the relevant police stations for investigation, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the cultivators and landowners.

Furthermore, one acre of fully cultivated poppy fields can yield an average of approximately 25 kg of raw opium in the legal Indian market, which is priced at the government-fixed rate of approximately ₹45,000 to ₹87,500.

The ₹30,000 per acre figure is a reasonable estimate of net profit after costs for a farmer, but the gross value is higher.