From poppy fields to black marketsInsight into the drug trade in India and Myanmar – The Sangai Express

Sreeparna Banerjee (ORF, Observer Research Foundation)
Continued from previous edition

There are two primary smuggling routes from western Myanmar to the northeastern Indian states of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland. The more traversed route starts in Mandalay and passes through Monywa and Kalewa, before branching towards Tamu-Moreh on the India-Myanmar border, leading to Manipur, or south via Rih-Chamhai to Mizoram. Another route starts from Bhamo in Kachin State, travels to Homalin in the Sagaing region, then enters Nagaland and continues to Assam, Kolkata and the rest of India.
Reports suggest that, due to the growing conflict in Manipur in 2023, narcotics traffickers from Assam and Mizoram used excavators to build a 10 km path from the international border to the nearest residence in Myanmar’s Chin State, to thus continuing the uninterrupted drug trade. Illegally produced opium along the Indo-Myanmar border, especially in Manipur, is transported to Myanmar for heroin production and then smuggled back to India. Medicinal preparations are also smuggled from India to Myanmar via similar routes.
As drug mafias and drug barons build strong networks between Manipur and Myanmar(n) to smuggle poppy into the Golden Triangle, and vice versa, Manipur faces multiple challenges: tackling poppy cultivation and the conversion of opium to heroin, and its seizure of illegal drugs.
India’s porous border with Myanmar and associated security issues have increased concerns among Indian authorities. The Indian government is concerned that the area may turn into a drug production zone. Manipur Chief Minister Biren Shah has attributed the increase in poppy production to the influx of Myanmarese following the Rohingya exodus in 2017 and the 2021 coup. Locals refute this claim, saying there is no evidence of such direct connection.
Ongoing challenges
Increased drug and drug trafficking across the India-Myanmar border poses a serious challenge to regional security and social welfare. Easy access to heroin and synthetic drugs in the border region has led to increased substance abuse among the local population, further complicated by the threat of the HIV/AIDS virus. The northeastern states that share a border with Myanmar have the highest HIV prevalence rates among adults, at 2.70 percent in Mizoram, 1.36 percent in Nagaland and 1.05 percent in Manipur. The high prevalence of HIV linked to injection drug use in Nagaland and Manipur combines with multiple social, political and economic factors, including poverty, unemployment, low capital formation and a lack of industrialization, which contribute to ongoing conflict and increasing drug use . among the youth.
Drug trafficking also has an immediate impact on the political process, with drug cartels undermining, penetrating and corrupting state institutions to control the illicit drug trade. The nexus between politicians, law enforcement officers and drug lords, as illustrated by the case of Lhoukhosei Zou, remains a critical concern. This collaboration has created an environment in which drug trafficking networks can operate with impunity, protected by those intended to dismantle them. As a result, the flow of narcotics continues to undermine law enforcement efforts and fuel instability in the region, making it challenging to address the root of the problem.
Manipur has witnessed a remarkable increase in poppy cultivation in recent years. Law enforcement agencies in the state uprooted 18,664.5 hectares of cultivated opium poppies between 2017 and 2023 (see Figure 2). Between 2017 and 2023, 2,817 persons were arrested and 2,243 cases were registered under the NDPS Act. However, most of the convicted persons were mules or couriers, with no convictions of the kingpins due to inadequate investigative procedures.
The conviction rate remains low because many officers empowered under the NDPS Act to seize drugs and make arrests are unfamiliar with proper seizure protocols, leading to improper evidence handling and prosecution. This is one of the loopholes that need to be addressed. Moreover, the pressure to release arrested persons from those in power and law enforcement agencies, as in the Zou case, also remains a concern.
The state government of Manipur has initiated campaigns, such as Nisha Thadoklasi and War on Drugs in 2018 and War on Drugs 2.0 in 2022, to combat illegal poppy cultivation and disrupt its distribution and trade. Despite these campaigns and operations to seize illicit drugs, the issue remains persistent and complex. The state has also used methods such as spraying herbicides using drones.(r) Manually cutting poppy plants requires significant labor. Drones and real-time satellite images are also being used to identify poppy plantations in the hills.
An alternative development approach was introduced in 2022, providing rabi crop seeds, nursery items, tools and equipment to 17 registered farmers’ associations from Senapati, Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, Kamjong, Ukhrul, Chandel, Tengnoupal, Tamenglong and Noney in Manipur. to convert Manipur into ‘Green Manipur’. While the government has implemented these and other initiatives, the increase in illicit drug trafficking underlines the need for a multi-pronged approach to effectively tackle the problem.