A CORRESPONDENT
BOKAKHAT: Drug abuse has taken a terrifying form. Although the Golaghat police administration has achieved success in its anti-drug operations, drug trafficking continues through large networks by evading the eyes of the police. The so-called “Golden Triangle,” formed by Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and India’s Manipur and Nagaland, has brought danger to Assam. This region, known as one of the cursed zones of world civilization, has become a source from which drugs are trafficked into Assam and through Assam to various other Indian states.
The India–Myanmar border area, where National Highway 39 that starts from Numaligarh ends, lies not far from the Myanmar town of Tamu. From Tamu, the quantity and routes of drugs to be sent are decided. Smuggling of Chinese-made electronic goods is rampant in Tamu. Although there is an agreement between India and Myanmar for the trade of 23 items, smugglers violate this boundary and sell thousands of items illegally.
In the Golden Triangle, raw materials produced from poppy cultivation are processed through various methods to create drugs such as opium, marijuana, heroin, morphine, and others. According to sources, the chemical substances required to manufacture these drugs are supplied from our country. In that region, these intoxicating substances are not even called drugs; instead, they are referred to as “Number Four.”
There is now an overflow of drugs across the Northeastern states, including Assam. Most antisocial incidents in the region involve drug-addicted youths. After consuming drugs, they lose all sense of right and wrong. As addiction sets in, they spend money by any means necessary to buy drugs, leading them to commit crimes of all kinds. This raises a critical question: when will the Northeast be free from the grip of drugs? The alarming reality is that the main route for drug trafficking from Myanmar passes through the Northeast. The region lies adjacent to Myanmar, and illegal consignments easily cross Nagaland and Manipur before entering Assam. Assam provides a lucrative market. Once drugs enter Assam in bulk, multiple rackets are formed here, with a dedicated distribution network. With extreme cunning, drugs are transported via National Highways 37 and 39, as well as through Diphu–Lumding routes, to destinations outside Assam.
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