NCB, Security Forces Destroy Over 1.37 Lakh Kg of Cannabis Plants Across 458 Acres in Arunachal Pradesh

The operation was conducted in the Kalaktang subdivision between October 26 and November 3 as the first phase of a wider anti-narcotics campaign. More than 1.37 lakh kg of cannabis plants, primarily grown on community land, were destroyed during the drive.

Led by the NCB's Itanagar Zonal Unit, the operation involved 118 personnel and workers from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Arunachal Pradesh Anti-Narcotics Task Force, West Kameng Police and the district administration.

Authorities used ground surveys conducted by the district police and administration, along with satellite imagery supplied by the NCB, to identify illegal cultivation sites across the district's difficult terrain.

Illicit Cultivation Clearance Expands in 2026

According to the NCB, the total area cleared of illegal cannabis cultivation across Arunachal Pradesh in 2026 has already exceeded eight times the area cleared during the whole of 2025.

The agency has identified additional locations across the state where cannabis and opium poppy are allegedly being cultivated. Further joint operations are planned to target these sites.

Upcoming drives will focus particularly on suspected opium poppy cultivation areas in Lohit, Lower Dibang Valley, Dibang Valley, Namsai, Anjaw, Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts.

The campaign forms part of the implementation of the Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026–2029), which calls for mapping illegal cultivation hotspots and coordinating eradication efforts among central, state and district agencies through a unified government approach.

Similar Anti-Narcotics Drives in Other States

The NCB has also participated in anti-cannabis cultivation operations in other parts of the country.

Earlier, an NCB-led operation cleared approximately 592 acres of illegal cannabis cultivation in the Parvati Valley of Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district.

In Odisha, the bureau supported the launch of the state's 'Mission Zero Cannabis Cultivation' initiative in Kandhamal and Boudh districts. Around 30 acres of illegal cannabis cultivation were cleared in Kandhamal under the campaign.

The NCB has appealed to the public to report cases of illegal drug cultivation and trafficking. Information can be shared confidentially through the MANAS National Narcotics Helpline by calling the toll-free number 1933.