In Tripura, approximately 1,800 individuals have been arrested for their alleged involvement in smuggling contraband and cultivating cannabis since March 2023. The arrests include 1,626 men and 171 women, according to a report from the state home department recently presented in the Assembly.
The report indicates that from March 2023 to February 2025, police lodged 994 cases related to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. In the same period, law enforcement submitted 1,445 charge sheets concerning NDPS cases. Among those arrested, ten individuals have already been sentenced by various courts in the state.
The penalties for those involved in cannabis cultivation, use, or smuggling are severe, with possible sentences ranging from ten to twenty years of rigorous imprisonment. Offenders may also face fines between ₹1 to ₹2 lakh. Over the last three years, the state government seized significant quantities of contraband, including 154,000 kg of cannabis, 482,000 bottles of cough syrup, and 2.5 million Yaba tablets. Additionally, cannabis plants covering 5,853.94 hectares were destroyed.
Tripura shares an 856 km international border with Bangladesh, which is primarily secured by a barbed wire fence. However, some areas remain unfenced due to local disputes. The state has become a corridor for drug traffickers, as noted by Chief Minister Manik Saha earlier in 2023, exacerbating issues like human trafficking, arms smuggling, and livestock trafficking.
