From Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI : There is a lot of news of drug trafficking from Assam all over the world. Director General of Assam Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta has said that the mafia of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Mumbai and Delhi is also involved in this international smuggling. Assam Police has arrested more than 450 people including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the last 24 days as part of a drive against drugs. During 10th May to 31st May, 264 cases were registered and 441 persons were arrested.
Daily arrests are being made in various districts under the ‘Fight against Drugs’. Jatin Chandra Das, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) of Dhoomuri district of Assam, has been arrested. Dhoomuri DSP Jatin Chandra Das has been arrested for connivance with drug smugglers. DSP Jatin Chandra Das was arrested after dhubri police raided his residence. Cash worth Rs 4.77 lakh has been recovered from the residence of Jatin Chandra Das during the raid.Mention that, Himanta Biswa Sarma had ordered action against drug dealers after assuming office as chief minister on May 10. Sarma had recently said that the state governments aim to create a drug free society and assam police will take a tough stand against the purchase and sale of drugs. A police spokesman said the state police had launched a major drive last month against illegal drug trafficking and the drug peddler network has been largely weakened. In the seizure so far, 6.57 kg of heroin, 5,785.85 kg of ganja, 92,366 drugs have been seized. Police have also seized 20 grams of morphine and 426 grams of opium along with Rs 17,11,130 cash. The spokesman said police will continue their fight against drug peddlers in the state and ensure that it is free from the drug problem.
The metropolitan areas of Guwahati and Assam have become new targets of the international drug trafficking ring. Earlier, drugs were supplied to other places via Guwahati, but now the metropolis has become a epicenter in itself. Due to the growing demand for drugs in the region, a large quantity of drugs are being sent to different parts of the state and all over the country for consumption here. Assam Director General of Police, Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta told media persons that a six-tier network operating a banned drug empire is operating in Assam. At the top of this network is an international production manager who produces opium, required for raw materials medicines. “Opium is mainly produced in Myanmar, but it does not meet the demand. Therefore, the production managers have used remote hilly areas of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, etc. This work involves the second level of the drugs network.Mahanta said he was responsible for protecting the opium poppy fields and in turn collected large sums of money from production managers. Various militant groups in the North East provide protection to the cultivation of opium poppy. The opium is later transported to Myanmar. In Myanmar, as per market demand, various types of drugs are manufactured and the third level of the network i.e. All these distributors are responsible for transportation of medicines at various places at a later stage.
They send large quantities of drugs to Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, New Delhi, Mumbai and other places in the North East at regular intervals. A large number of locals then joined the drug network. Local drug dealers play an important role in the entire business, known as the ‘receiver’. The last level of the drug network is the local distributor. They sell poisonous drugs in different parts of Assam through agents. Some distributors themselves have taken the responsibility of selling drugs while others are selling drugs through their trusted people and drug addicts. Moreover, some youths who do not use drugs themselves have recently resorted to selling drugs. This particular trend came to light after assam police launched a massive operation and investigation. Assam Director General of Police Mahanta said that several mafias from Jharkhand-Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have started cultivating opium or cannabis in Assam. To this end, they take land to interior areas and land near the state’s rivers and employ locals to cultivate the land. Assam Police has planted 69 bighas of opium in 2020 and uprooted 15 bighas of land till May 2021. According to Assam Police, the crop is grown mainly in Barpeta, South Salmara and Kamrup district areas.
