Manipur Police arrested two persons from Meitei Pangal community and seized brown sugar, heroin, and drug money in coordinated raids, highlighting the cross-community nature of the drug crisis.
BY PC Bureau
Security forces in Manipur have made a major breakthrough in the ongoing crackdown on narcotics, seizing a large quantity of illegal drugs during coordinated operations in Thoubal district—part of the Imphal valley and a Meitei-majority region.
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The first raid was carried out at the residence of Wangmayum Barul Alam in Lilong Haoreibi Turel Ahanbi Darul Uloom Makha, under the jurisdiction of Lilong Police Station. Authorities recovered 3.9 kg of brown sugar, seven soap cases containing suspected heroin (approximately 12 grams each), an additional 0.53 grams of brown sugar, seven bottles of codeine (100 ml each), and seven mobile phones. Alam was arrested at the scene.
A follow-up operation at the home of Yangkhubam Hafi, also of Darul Uloom Makha, led to the seizure of Rs 1,14,220 in suspected drug proceeds, 44 SP capsules, two strips containing seven N10 tablets, two strips of 20 diazepam tablets, and two bottles of codeine.
Manipur Police confirmed that legal proceedings have been initiated and further investigations are underway to dismantle the broader drug network operating in the region.
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The location of the bust—in Thoubal, a district dominated by the Meitei community—has cast serious doubt on the narrative that links the Kuki population exclusively with drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. The incident highlights that the drug menace is not confined to the hill areas or any one ethnic group, but is a pervasive, state-wide problem that demands a non-partisan, fact-based approach.
This seizure underscores the need to move beyond communal profiling and focus on dismantling the larger narcotics infrastructure that cuts across communities in Manipur.
