Drug traffickers not only changed their routes in Manipur after the ethnic conflict erupted in May 2023 but they also adopted a credit policy to push consumption during troubled times, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said on Friday (June 26, 2026).

From the 1970s

Addressing an event organised by the State’s Social Welfare Department in Imphal to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, he said many youth in Manipur started using heroin and other drugs in the 1970s.

“At that time, heroin was extremely expensive, and it was largely affordable only to the children from rich families. But things have changed now,” he said.

Manipur used to be a major conduit for heroin, methamphetamine, and other synthetic drugs via Moreh, a town on the India-Myanmar border.

Mr. Singh said the routes for drug trafficking changed significantly after the ethnic crisis began in 2023. “Trafficking of drugs has largely been diverted through Mizoram, while smaller quantities continue to be routed from Moreh to Churachandpur via roads constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana,” he said.

He added that the nearest point for distributing drugs after they reach Churachandpur is Kwatka. While Kuki-Zo communities dominate Churachandpur district, Kwatka is a largely Muslim or Meitei Pangal area in the adjoining Bishnupur district.

70% youth consuming drugs: CM

Citing Kwatka-based civil society organisations, the Chief Minister said almost 70% of the youth in the area were indulging in drugs. “The drug peddlers often allow users to purchase drugs on credit. This practice has made the drug users get easy access to drugs,” he said.

He further said that Moirang, Kumbi, Thanga, and other areas adjoining Kwatka have become vulnerable today.

Mr. Singh, however, said sports could be a “big defence” against the use of drugs among the youth. “Building a drug-free society is the responsibility of every individual, along with the collective efforts of local clubs, Meira Paibis (women’s collectives), and civil society organisations of the State,” he said.

Robert Singh Kshetrimayum, Manipur’s Social Welfare Commissioner, said a sizeable percentage of those addicted to drugs in the State were below 20 years of age.