Guwahati: Despite continued enforcement efforts, Shillong and several other regions in Meghalaya remain plagued by the persistent drug menace.
According to a report by The Shillong Times, some officials tackling the crisis believe that dismantling drug supply networks could yield better results than focusing primarily on users in urban areas.
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Speaking to The Shillong Times on Monday, several officials pointed out that the masterminds behind the drug trade often operate from Myanmar or Manipur, while only the street-level dealers are active within Meghalaya.
They stated the need for strong intelligence networks to intercept narcotics in transit, particularly along key highways and lesser-known routes.
“The involvement of influential individuals from the Northeast in the trade cannot be ruled out,” one official noted. “Targeting transportation routes during the movement of these consignments is crucial.”
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Authorities observed that catching suppliers in Shillong was easier a few years ago. However, most of them have since moved operations outside the city, now relying on local retailers to circulate drugs.
One key reason for this shift, officials say, is Assam’s intensified crackdown on narcotics, which has prompted traffickers to alter their supply chains.
Previously, drugs would enter Meghalaya through Khliehriat from southern Assam.
But due to deteriorating highway conditions, traffickers now prefer the Guwahati route, using public transport like night super buses.
“They often conceal drugs in everyday items, such as soap cases, to avoid detection,” an official revealed.
However, monitoring the Guwahati-Shillong highway remains a challenge due to heavy traffic flow. “We must tighten checks at key entry points,” an official suggested, identifying Lum Survey in Shillong as a hotspot for drug activity.
To significantly curb the crisis, some officials proposed a large-scale intervention, temporarily detaining and relocating thousands of known addicts in the city to rehabilitation or de-addiction centres.
Meghalaya’s geography further complicates enforcement. The state shares an 884 km border with Assam and a 443 km international boundary with Bangladesh.
It also lies close to the infamous Golden Triangle, the opium-rich region that includes Myanmar, northern Laos, and northwest Thailand.
Officials warn that drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, and cannabis continue to flow into Meghalaya from Myanmar, often via Manipur and Mizoram, and trafficked onward to Bangladesh and various parts of India.