GUWAHATI, Dec 5 - Along with the expansion of illicit drug trade across the State, cultivation of cannabis and poppy plant has become a serious cause of concern in the State. As per data availed from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), till October of the current year, sleuths of Assam police have destroyed around 69 bighas of such cultivation in different parts of the State. CID records stated that such cultivation was found in Matraghuli and No.1 Dhupuri areas of Bongaigaon district, Salmara part-VI, Katlamari part-II, Ravatari and Palkarkandi areas of South Salmara district and Daikhurguri area of Chirang district.
Till October, as many as 807 cases under the NDPS Act were registered in different police stations of Assam and in connection with such cases altogether 1,353 persons have been arrested so far. In the period, police also seized around 24 kg of heroin, 5,426 kg of ganja, 15 kg of opium, 71,194 bottles of cough syrup, 10,23,578 numbers of psychotropic substance tablets, around 20 kg of powdery substance, 700 numbers of Fortwin injection and 1.3 kg of cocaine along with cash of Rs 78,27,930 in different operations against the illicit trade of drugs and psychotropic substances.
Notably, in 2019, police had registered as many as 826 such cases across the State and arrested altogether 1,226 persons from different locations of Assam. Against those cases, police had seized 23.59 kg of heroin, 8,217.35 kg of ganja, 26.73 kg of opium, 55,418 bottles of cough syrup, 15,37,745 numbers of psychotropic substance, 5,561 kg of powdery substance and 451 numbers of Fortwin injections.
The data availed from CID further stated that in 2016, police had registered as many 382 such cases and arrested altogether 587 persons, in 2017 as many as 559 persons had been arrested against 367 cases and in 2018 altogether 694 drug peddlers had been arrested by Assam police from different parts of the State under 455 cases registered under the NDPS Act.
