Shillong, Aug 21: Meghalaya be wary of following Punjab down the path to a severe drug problem, Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh said today.
Meghalaya is working with central agencies like the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to stop drugs from entering the state, he added, and the state government is pushing to establish a regional NCB office in Shillong.
At a felicitation programme, eight officers and personnel of the Anti Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) were honoured for their recent work in catching drug peddlers and seizing contraband worth Rs 4 crore in East Jaintia Hills.
Speaking at the programme, Lyngdoh cited the example of Punjab, saying, “The state has given the country soldiers and sportspersons but, years later, when the drug menace gripped the region, every household had at least one addict.”
Lyngdoh emphasised that Meghalaya should not face a similar fate and asked citizens to help make the state drug-free.
ANTF Superintendent of Police Giri Prasad said drugs like codeine and phensedyl enter through the Bangladesh border but other drugs typically do not come through this route.
Prasad noted that the state collaborates closely with the BSF guarding the Indo-Bangladesh border to prevent smuggling. Most drugs seized in Meghalaya come from Manipur-based smugglers. From 2023 to 2025, drug seizures have gone up and so far this year 95 drug smugglers have been arrested.
Prasad explained there are two types of trafficking: one targeting Meghalaya’s youth and the other for transit.
Due to strict checks by state police for transit purposes, traffickers are using alternative routes. Police are now focusing on vulnerable entry-exit points in Ri-Bhoi and East Jaintia Hills.
In the last five years, authorities have seized 41kg of heroin, 12,756kg of cannabis, 2kg of opium, 76kg of yaba (methamphetamine mixed with caffeine) tablets, 14kg of crystal meth, 16kg of other psychotropic substances and 1.24 lakh bottles of cough syrup. The total value of these seizures is Rs 412 crore.
