Shillong, August 20: In a major crackdown on the narcotics network, the Meghalaya Government has detained five repeat drug peddlers under the Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988 (PIT NDPS) and simultaneously frozen their personal and family bank accounts. Minister in charge of Social Welfare, Paul Lyngdoh, said the state is determined to strike at the roots of the drug menace and dismantle every support system sustaining traffickers. “People who rent the space to them or accommodate them, anybody who helps these dealers and traffickers are also liable to be booked under PIT NDPS,” he warned.
Describing the gravity of the situation, Lyngdoh said, “I would like to first start with the current narcotics and drug scene in the state. The state government is seized of the seriousness and the gravity of the situation, which is why we have stepped up effort to track and control movement of peddlers, both small and big players. In the course of our exercise, numerous cases have been unearthed and just as recently as last week in East Jaintia Hills District, there was a seizure of narcotics worth over ₹1 crore, which is one of the biggest seizures so far.” He added that the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) personnel who risked their lives in these operations would be honoured. “I will personally hand over some cash incentives and certificates to these personnel of the ANTF who braved all challenges in order to finally track down and capture the culprits who are currently in police custody,” the Minister said.
Responding to public queries on what happens to major peddlers once they are arrested, Lyngdoh revealed that from August 2024 till date, the government has successfully cleared detention orders against five high-profile repeat offenders under PIT NDPS, a law that allows preventive detention of traffickers for up to one year. “From August 2024 till today, we have been able to successfully clear the detention orders of five major narcotics dealers, most of whom are repeat offenders,” he said, adding that the orders were approved by the Advisory Board chaired by a retired Chief Justice. The detainees include Rintu G. Saikia alias Pratap of Nongrim Hills, Pynhoi Nongtdu alias Pun of Nartiang, Hubert Lamphrang Paliar alias Lungrit of Mawiong Pyndengrei, Marwill Nangbah alias Marwill of Jowai and Aisha Khatoon alias Pahari of Lower Paltan Bazar. Their detention orders were cleared at different intervals in July 2024, August 2024, January 2025 and February 2025, with each of them being held for one year.
Lyngdoh made it clear that financial disruption is being used as a weapon against narcotics networks. “We have frozen the bank account of all these narcotic dealers, not only their personal bank accounts but also those of their immediate families,” he confirmed. The Minister reiterated that the crackdown would not stop at traffickers alone but extend to their enablers. “In case people come across any known trafficker of narcotics, let them immediately inform the ANTF. We will immediately send our personnel and also ensure that whoever helps them—for instance, people who rent them space or give accommodation—will also be equally liable for prosecution,” Lyngdoh said.
He stressed that the state is uncompromising in its mission to combat the drug menace, with PIT NDPS serving as a potent legal instrument to ensure repeat offenders face stringent detention and financial incapacitation.
