Guwahati: A large-scale anti-drug operation in Tripura’s Sepahijala district resulted in the destruction of nearly 19 lakh immature ganja plants, valued at around Rs 100 crore, police reported on Sunday, January 4.
The crackdown, described as the state’s biggest single-day action against illegal cannabis cultivation, was conducted jointly by the Tripura Police, Border Security Force (BSF), and Tripura State Rifles (TSR).
The operation took place on Saturday across roughly 650 acres of forest in North Kalamchoura, South Kalamchoura, Anandapur, and Ghatigarh.
Acting on intelligence, nearly 600 personnel were deployed to uproot the plantations spread over dense and difficult terrain.
Sepahijala district Additional Superintendent of Police Rajib Sutradhar said law enforcement agencies increasingly use drones to detect ganja cultivation in remote forest areas before launching coordinated operations.
He added that 19 lakh immature ganja plants, worth about Rs 100 crore, were destroyed during the drive, and the anti-cannabis operations would continue in the coming days.
Sonamura police station officer-in-charge Tapan Das said locals were cultivating ganja on encroached forest land, but no arrests have been made so far.
He also noted that this was the largest single-day seizure of ganja plants in Tripura.
Police sources said the processed ganja from these plantations is often smuggled to states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where it commands a higher price.
Authorities stated that such large-scale operations will continue in other vulnerable areas as part of Tripura’s ongoing efforts against narcotics cultivation and trafficking.