Police say recent hauls in Imphal and Kangpokpi point to organised networks, with Nagaland often used as a corridor to push narcotics into Assam and beyond.
August 29, 2025:
A series of recent arrests in Manipur and along the Assam–Nagaland border have highlighted a disturbing trend: members of the Naga community being increasingly drawn into the Narcotics trade, despite repeated condemnations by their own civil society organisations.
On August 27, Manipur Police arrested two alleged smugglers, S. Davihai Mikrii (21) of Senapati and Ngaoloni (48) of Tadubi, Senapati, from Jail Road, Old Lambulane, Imphal West. Police seized 30 soap cases containing 341 grams of brown sugar, along with Aadhaar cards, a driving licence, three mobile phones, and two four-wheelers.
Just a month earlier, on July 24, a joint operation by Kangpokpi Police, Senapati Police, and CRPF battalions 112 and 94 led to the arrest of four Nagas from T Khullen village in Kangpokpi District. The raid yielded 273 soap cases of narcotics weighing 3.5 kilograms, nearly ₹1 crore in unaccounted cash, two vehicles, financial documents, and mobile phones. The accused were identified as S. Poubinah Teinamei (31), PF Adaphro (34), S. Boibina (29), and Lungdinibou Thiumei (52). Police said the haul indicated an organised trafficking racket operating across districts.
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Earlier in April, Manipur Police arrested J. Maikho (38) of Saranamai village, Senapati, for his alleged role in a cross-border trafficking network that transported narcotics from Moreh on the Myanmar border to Dimapur, Nagaland. He was handed over to Nagaland Police in connection with a case registered at Chumukedima Police Station, with investigators noting that Manipur serves as the supply hub while Nagaland is used as a transit corridor for drugs moving into Assam and beyond.
On 27.08.2025, Manipur Police arrested 02 (two) drug smugglers, namely, 1) S. Davihai Mikrii (21) of Senapati and 2) Ngaoloni (48) of Tadubi, Senapati from Jail Road, Old Lambulane under Imphal-PS, Imphal West district. From their possession, the following were seized:
i.30 soap… pic.twitter.com/E9y5WZw7Jt— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) August 27, 2025
The pattern persists. In January 2025, two Naga youths, Ranch Kikon and Chambe, were caught near the Assam–Nagaland border with 333 tablets of the banned drug Simpex. They were detained by locals and later handed over to Nagaland Police by the CRPF, triggering controversy in Assam.
Police officials say the arrests point to a growing and worrying pattern of Naga individuals being co-opted into the narcotics trade. “The community has strong voices against drugs, but economic pressures and organised syndicates are clearly pulling some into this network,” a senior officer told this portal..
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Beyond Manipur, the involvement of Nagas in drug peddling all the more alarming. According to Nagaland Police records, 199 drug-related cases were registered in 2024, with 343 arrests, including 60 top traffickers booked under the NDPS Act.
Civil society groups in Naga areas have reiterated their condemnation of drug peddling and urged youth to resist what they describe as a “trap that is destroying families and communities.”
