Series of the arrest of drug peddlers and seizure of huge quantities of illicit narcotics and psychotropic substances by Assam Police in different districts over the past few days are just the tip of the iceberg. Intensified anti-drug operation in different districts led to 42 drug peddlers falling in police dragnet and recovery of 1144.84 grams of heroin, 2.25 kilograms of cannabis, 184 bottles of cough syrup and 73,730 tablets, besides cash amounting to Rs 52,200. Altogether 22 cases registered by Assam Police speak volumes about how the drug lords have expanded their network in the state. The recovery of huge quantities of illicit drugs worth several crores of rupees indicates the high stakes of the drug lords and peddlers. It also brought to the fore a worrisome picture of a large number of youths in the staSeries of the arrest of drug peddlers and seizure of huge quantities of illicit narcotics and psychotropic substances by Assam Police in different districts over the past few days are just the tip of the iceberg. Intensified anti-drug operation in different districts led to 42 drug peddlers falling in police dragnet and recovery of 1144.84 grams of heroin, 2.25 kilograms of cannabis, 184 bottles of cough syrup and 73,730 tablets, besides cash amounting to Rs 52,200. Altogether 22 cases registered bye turning into drug addicts and many more becoming vulnerable to addiction. The underworld of criminals has ruined families and posing the larger threat of destroying future generations by inducing young boys and girls into substance abuse. Assam Police is doing a commendable job by busting the gangs of drug peddlers. It, however, needs to be extra cautious while sharing details of the cases in course of the raids and investigation so that the kingpins of the drug networks cannot derive any clue from such information released in the public domain to evade the police dragnet. Revealing the identities of the accused through mass media can alert other criminals in the network and hamper investigations. Twitter handle of the Assam Police shows that some police districts have published photographs of arrested drug peddlers with faces blurred while some others have published the photos without blurring the faces. Such lack of uniformity in making public the case details could be either due to lack of clear guidelines on dos and don'ts regarding sharing case details on mass media as well as social media or non-adherence to standing guidelines and protocols. A media advisory for crime reporters on coverage of crime stories can help avoid hampering of investigation due to inadvertent publication of vital information. Most often investigating officers share vital details of the case including names and residency details of arrested with crime reporters to help them understand the sequence, pattern and nature of the crime committed with the understanding that these would not be published in mass media till all the accused are arrested and the entire gang is busted in case of organised crimes like drug trafficking. According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), more than 35 lakh people around the world suffer from drug addiction. The report titled "Magnitude of Substance Use in India, 2019" published by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment reveals that of estimated 8.5 lakh 'People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) in India Assam accounted for 17,466 PWID during the survey period. Almost half of these PWIDs primarily inject heroin and others use injectable pharmaceutical opioids. The high prevalence of drug addiction and seizures of illicit drugs in neighbouring states of Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram bordering Myanmar makes it imperative for law-enforcing agencies in all north-eastern states to share intelligence on anti-drug operations to wage coordinated battle against drug trafficking in the region. The proximity of the northeast region to the infamous 'Golden Triangle' located on borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos makes it easier for drug kingpins to source supplies from drug cartels in Myanmar. Such a transnational network makes the anti-drug operations aimed at busting the networks tougher than they appear. An effective strategy to make Assam and other states in the region free from illicit drugs requires parallel efforts to raise awareness in the community on importance of drug abuse prevention. Adolescents and unemployed youth become soft targets of drug peddlers. Setting up anti-narcotics clubs in schools and colleges and organizing programmes to build awareness can achieve the desired result if representatives of the police, parents, medical fraternity, besides students and teachers volunteer to play active roles. Roping in non-governmental organizations is necessary to take the awareness campaign among hard-to-reach target groups such as out of school children as well as school and college dropouts, street and slum-dwelling children and adolescents. Awareness among parents can help early detection of substance abuse by children before they fall into an addiction quagmire. Active participation in such awareness campaign by celebrities from the world of music, who have great influence among adolescents and youth, can be effective only when such role models also abstain from any kind of substance abuse. Rehabilitation of the addicted through counselling and drug addiction treatment forms an important component of the strategy. Assam can become an illicit drug-free state only if every section of the society extends full cooperation to Assam Police and other law-enforcing agencies in busting the network of drug traffickers and peddlers running illicit drug business in their neighbourhood.