NEW DELHI: In a major crackdown on drug production, the Narcotics Control Bureau’s Itanagar Zonal Unit, operating alongside the Sashastra Seema Bal, Central Reserve Police Force, and Arunachal Pradesh Police, has eradicated approximately 458 acres of illicit cannabis cultivation in the Kalaktang subdivision of West Kameng district.The first phase of the joint destruction operation, carried out between October 26 and November 3, 2026, resulted in the destruction of over 1.37 lakh kilograms of cannabis plants grown primarily on community lands.The drive mobilized 118 personnel and workers, drawing enforcement officers from the Sashastra Seema Bal, Central Reserve Police Force, Arunachal Pradesh Anti-Narcotics Task Force, West Kameng Police, and the district administration. Ground surveys conducted by local police and civil authorities, paired with satellite mapping provided by the NCB, allowed field teams to pinpoint and access illegal plantation sites hidden deep within the region’s rugged terrain.With this latest action, the total area of illicit cannabis destroyed across Arunachal Pradesh in 2026 has surged to more than eight times the full-year figure recorded in 2025.
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The operation forms part of a broader crackdown mapped out under the Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026–2029), which mandates identifying cultivation hotspots and executing synchronized crop destruction operations using a whole-of-government approach across central, state, and district agencies. NCB authorities confirmed that further joint drives are scheduled to target illicit cannabis and opium poppy sites identified across the state, including high-risk opium regions in Lohit, Lower Dibang Valley, Dibang Valley, Namsai, Anjaw, Tirap, Changlang, and Longding.The Arunachal Pradesh drive follows similar nationwide operations led by the agency, including the clearance of nearly 592 acres of illegal cannabis in Himachal Pradesh’s Parvati Valley in Kullu, as well as joint operations under Odisha’s Mission Zero Cannabis Cultivation, which recently saw 30 acres destroyed in Kandhamal district.Authorities continue to urge members of the public to report illicit drug cultivation or trafficking activities confidentially through the toll-free MANAS National Narcotics Helpline at 1933.