GUWAHATI: Drug sales on credit persist in Manipur’s Kwakta area, even as cartels have changed trafficking routes in the wake of the 2023 ethnic conflict, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said on Friday.
Speaking at an event on the observance of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Imphal, Singh said many youths started using drugs in the late 1970s, when heroin was expensive, largely affordable only to children from rich families. However, things have changed now.
“In the wake of the 2023 crisis in Manipur, the route for drug trafficking had significantly changed, diverted largely through Mizoram, while smaller quantities continue to be routed from Moreh (on Myanmar border) to Churachandpur via roads constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana,” Singh said.
He added that once drugs reached Churachandpur, the nearest distribution point was Kwakta in the Imphal Valley.
He said he had learnt during his interaction with Kwakta-based civil society organisations that nearly 70% of the local youths were using drugs.
“Drug peddlers often allow users to purchase drugs on credit. This practice has made drugs easily accessible to users,” the CM said, adding that adjoining areas such as Moirang, Kumbi and Thanga had become vulnerable.
Singh, who was an active sportsperson during the late 1970s, said sports could be a powerful defence against drugs. He believed that youths could stay away from the menace through sports participation.
He further stated that building a drug-free society would require the collective efforts of every individual, along with clubs, women groups and civil society organisations.
Sports against drugs
The chief minister, who was an active sportsperson during the late 1970s, said sports could be a powerful defence against drugs. He believed that youths could stay away from the menace of drugs through active participation in sports activities.