Agartala, November 15:
In one of the largest anti-narcotics crackdowns in recent times, a joint enforcement team on Saturday destroyed more than 2.25 lakh illegally cultivated marijuana plants spread across approximately 45 acres of forest land in the bordering Sonamura subdivision of Sepahijala district.
Inspector Tapas Das, Officer-in-Charge of Sonamura Police Station, led the extensive operation. According to him, the raids were carried out from 7:30 AM to 1 PM in the Dhanirampur ADC area, where authorities identified and demolished a total of 38 separate cannabis cultivation plots. All the land used for the illegal plantations belongs to the state Forest Department, indicating widespread encroachment and organized cultivation activities in the dense forested terrain.
The large-scale destruction drive was made possible through a coordinated effort of multiple law enforcement and security agencies. The joint team included personnel from Sonamura Police, various units of the Border Security Force (81 Battalion including Deepak BOP, Dhanpur BOP, NC Nagar BOP, Batalab BOP, Matinagar BOP, and Anandapur BOP), officials from Sonamura and Boxanagar Forest Ranges, and troops from 1st BN TSR, 11 BN TSR, 14 BN TSR (Women), as well as 35 BN Assam Rifles from Agartala. Support from other sister agencies further strengthened the operation, ensuring thorough coverage of the targeted forest zones.
Inspector Das stated that the mission aimed to disrupt cross-border narcotics smuggling networks and to curb the expansion of illegal marijuana cultivation in remote pockets along the international border. The dense vegetation and difficult terrain have long made the region a hotspot for covert cultivation efforts.
Authorities confirmed that similar anti-narcotics operations will continue over the coming days as part of an intensified strategy to eliminate illegal drug production and protect the region from narco-related activities.
