Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh): In a major crackdown on illegal cultivation of opium in the country, Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) teams from Neemuch and Gwalior units in Madhya Pradesh destroyed illegal opium cultivation on 14,000 bighas (or around 3,600 hectares) in Arunachal Pradesh. Officials sources claim that this is the biggest crackdown on illegal cultivation so far in the country and, if the cultivators had achieved their goal of illegal cultivation of opium, its international market value would have been around Rs 2,100 crore.
Sources said that action had been taken based on the specific intelligence they received. Their informers told officials that illegal opium cultivation was going on unabashedly in some areas of Arunachal Pradesh. Teams of CBN Neemuch and Gwalior officials were formed in February and sent to Arunachal Pradesh. These officials coordinated with the local administration and police and conducted a survey to identify the illegal opium-growing areas.
Thereafter, the teams launched an operation along with the local police and CRPF. The whole operation lasted about three weeks. The teams also discovered new areas of illegal cultivation that were later destroyed. Despite facing many hurdles and difficult terrain, the CBN officials successfully destroyed illegally cultivated opium on 14,000 bighas. Sources have revealed that this action was carried out in the utmost secrecy as it could have put the teams involved in the action in danger. It was done only after all the teams had returned to their workplace.
Calculating the price
- Sources claimed 12 kilograms of opium could be extracted from opium crop on one bigha land
- Sp, around 16.8 lakh kilograms of opium could be extracted from cultivation on 14000 bighas
- The total market value of this 16.8 lakh kilograms of opium would be around Rs 21,000 crore
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