The team of Thoubal police commandos along with the seized brown sugar and the apprehendee on June 13. (NNN Photo)
Newmai News Network
Imphal | June 14
In what it termed as major breakthrough in the ongoing war on drugs 2.0, the Manipur police on Tuesday busted a ‘brown sugar manufacturing laboratory’ in Manipur’s Thoubal district and recovered 222.85 kg of suspected brown sugar worth over Rs 200 crore in the international market.
Besides seizure of materials allegedly used in processing opium to produce heroin (brown sugar), a woman identified as Thoubalmayum Bibi of Thoubal district was also arrested, the police said.
According to police, the recovered items included one wooden crushing machine, an electric mixing machine and a weighing machine, 1.5 liter of Ammonium Chloride in two bottles, 134 litre of a chemical liquid solution in two plastic containers, one aluminum container, a gas burner and a gas cylinder.
A team of Thoubal police commandos led by its officer in-charge, O Wangkhomba busted the illegal laboratory today morning, around 7 am, police further informed.
The police commando raided the house based on reliable information, said Thoubal district superintendent of police, Jogeshchandra Haobijam who addressed reporters at his office chamber. The police commando team including women personnel of the district police raided the house, the police officer further said.
During the raid, the police commandos found four large yellow plastic sacks, one blue plastic brite container and one red plastic container suspected to be heroin weighing together 222.85 kg. The police officer also said that, upon spot testing in the presence of local witnesses, the police confirmed that it was heroin (brown sugar). The materials used in manufacturing the illegal drugs were recovered during further search in the house, he added.
The police officer then said that an investigation has been initiated to identify others involved in running the illegal factory after registering a case under relevant section of ND&PS Act.
The arrested person and the seized items were also handed over to Thoubal police station for necessary legal action, the SP added. He also said that the busting of the illegal laboratory was a major breakthrough of the district police in the ongoing war on drugs 2.0.
