Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 05 2011: Situated not far from the infamous Golden Triangle, nestled along Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, heroin manufacturing units have come up in Manipur posing a new threat to the global fight against drug menace and forcing the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) sleuths to work overtime to track down the drug barons and their operatives.

With the coming up of 'clandestine' mobile heroin manufacturing units in the State, the price of the drug popularly known as No 4 in the local parlance has considerably dropped in the local market, officials of the centre-run NCB said adding that this has also prompted the number of drug users to rise considerably.

The value of heroin per kilogram in the local market between Rs 10 and 15 lakh and it soars up to over Rs 1 crore in the international market.

"We have got specific information that some mobile heroin manufacturing units have come up in Manipur," said NCB Regional Director Vijay Shahasane at a media conference at Imphal on Monday.

Detailing the modus operandi of the manufacturing process of the drug, Vijay, who also holds the additional charge of Assistant Director in-charge Imphal unit, said the drug is manufactured in a single night in mobile units and they keep on changing their locations to avoid detection and arrest."The manufacturers use all materials available in the State including poppy seed fluids, acetic anhydride and other simple compounds," he said adding that there have been reports that the drug barons only manufacture heroin according to the demand made by the buyers or traffickers.

The same units also manufacture opium.

"The coming up of these units has posed a big challenge to us and with the vital inputs, our sleuths are working overtime to destroy the mobile factories and nab the culprits," Vijay said.

There have also been reports that drug barons from China, Myanmar and Nepal are financing illegal poppy cultivation in the hill districts of Manipur.

Another NCB official, who keeps a close watch to nab the culprits, said the drug is manufactured in the hill range of Thoubal and its neighboring districts and some Manipur Muslims are involved in this big-stake illegal business.

"Through our sources, we have found samples of heroin manufactured in Manipur and its rate is somewhat lower than that of the ones which are usually smuggled in from the notorious Golden Triangle through the porous Indo-Myanmar boundary," the official added.

Drug analysts said crude products of these narcotic plants grown illegally at difficult terrains in the State reach the notorious Golden Triangle for heroin manufacturing.

They said poppy cultivators in Manipur fetch around Rs 30,000 from one kilogram from the fluids extracted from poppy seeds, they said adding that the one kilogram can be produced from the plants grown in 400 square meters.

During January 30 to November 30 this year, NCB Imphal seized large quantity of illicit drugs including Ganja, Heroin, Opium, Pseudoephedrine and Ephedrine tablets valued at Rs 9,40,27,420 in the illicit local market and over Rs 900 crores in the international market, officials of the Centre-run bureau said.

NCB along with several anti-drug organizations as well as Central forces have also destroyed large chunk of illegal poppy and ganja cultivation in the remote hill areas in the last few years.