Security forces destroyed nearly 18 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in Manipur’s Churachandpur and Tengnoupal districts, police said.

A combined team comprising district police, Assam Rifles, the Forest Department, and the Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) conducted an operation at D. Lhangjol village under Sangaikot Police Station in Churachandpur on Friday (November 21), a senior police officer said.

During the operation, around 8 acres of poppy plantations—estimated to yield approximately 40 kg of opium—were destroyed.

In a separate action on the same day, security forces, in coordination with the Tengnoupal district administration and the Machi Forest Division, destroyed nearly 10 acres of poppy cultivation in the Machi hill range.

The State government had earlier issued strict warnings against illegal poppy growers, citing widespread deforestation and severe ecological damage caused by such activities in the hill areas.