Manipur security forces destroyed 119 acres of illegal poppy cultivation during a major operation in Ukhrul district on December 18, marking a sharp escalation in the state’s crackdown on narcotics production in hill areas.

The operation targeted LM Block, Yaolen Chepu and the Lamlai Chingphei area, where security teams cleared vast stretches of poppy fields. During the drive, 24 huts found at the plantation sites were torched, with officials stating that the structures were likely used by cultivators and labourers involved in the illegal activity.

The December 18 action followed a coordinated operation carried out a day earlier in the same areas. On December 17, Manipur security forces, in coordination with the Ukhrul district Forest Department, destroyed around 140 acres of poppy plantations and burnt 16 makeshift huts during the clearance exercise.

Officials said the back-to-back operations highlight sustained and intensified efforts by the state to curb illegal drug cultivation and dismantle networks linked to the narcotics trade in Manipur’s hill districts.