There is need for Meghalaya & Assam to work together under supervision of GOI to eradicate drug trafficking: Assam CM

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMarch 28, 2025

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday asserted the need for Meghalaya and Assam to work together under the supervision of the government of India for eradicating drug trafficking in the region.

Speaking to reporters, Sarma said, “You see in our country the joint action is always calibrated by the government of India. States coming together under the leadership of the central government police force is good for us but if both states collaborated on their own without involvement of the central government that may not be good. So, the idea is that both Meghalaya and Assam can work together under the supervision of the government of India.”

Stating that all state governments are trying their best to deal with the issue, the Assam CM however said, “This is a big menace and there are various modus operandi for the drug traffickers and I think if we keep on collectively attacking the drug cartel we are going to win the war. Every state is working and I think we have lots of things to do, we have to do more and we will do more.”

On failure to arrest kingpins running the drug cartel, Sarma said, “Kingpins are not here. Kingpins are across the border. They may have been in India also so they only push drugs through various agents and sometimes they come with big quantities and sometimes they come with very small quantities, you cannot even detect.”

He cited, “If ten people travelled together in a railway train to Delhi and everybody had half a gram of heroin in their pockets it is very difficult. So, they have all the modus operandi, they can even take it by walking also. If a person from Guwahati starts walking to Shillong with a drug in his pocket, it is very difficult to find out. So, they ploy various methodologies and police have to work better than them and this is the way how we operate.”

Further, the Assam CM said that the NDPS Act is not a hurdle.

“As you know even states like America, today they are trying to stop drug cartels/drug menace. Yesterday if you hear the senate hearing it was a central thing so the world is fighting. It is not that only Meghalaya and Assam are fighting but the world is fighting against drug traffickers and it is a big business and there will be many hidden actors in it. So, it is a big thing and it is not just like that you went to a place and you raided and you finished this off. This is a long battle and you have to carry on this battle,” he said adding “You see still I believe that Assam and Meghalaya still drug traffickers used it as a carrier but they have other methodologies also, they drop drugs through drones so even if you are not proximate to the golden triangle, they can still fly drones to any location. So, it is a big game and it is not just by discussing between you and me it is going to be solved. then if it would have been that easy then it would have been resolved long back.”

“But I believe this is a long battle but you have to have patience, you have to continue attack one after the other you have to keep on arresting them, keep on seizing drugs so that the economy is broken and so it is a continuous and sustainable effort you have to do,” Sarma further added.

Assam, Meghalaya to work together to address air pollution at Byrnihat: Himanta Biswa Sarma