Guwahati : Smuggling of opium-based narcotics, particularly heroin, into the Northeast has shown a sharp rise, with recent seizure data pointing to a direct link with Myanmar, where poppy cultivation has climbed to a ten-year high amid prolonged conflict and economic collapse.

Heroin seizures by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the Northeast stood at 7 kg in 2023, increased to 9 kg in 2024, and jumped sharply to 31 kg in 2025 so far. Assam accounted for 17 kg of the total seizures this year. Figures from the Assam Police indicate an even steeper rise, with heroin recoveries increasing from 164 kg in 2023, along with 162 kg of opium, to 174 kg in 2024.

Other enforcement agencies, including the Assam Rifles, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Manipur Police and Railway Police, have also reported frequent seizures of heroin, morphine and opium across the region, underscoring the scale of trafficking networks operating through the Northeast.

According to the Myanmar Opium Survey 2025, poppy cultivation in Myanmar rose by 17 per cent over the past year, expanding from 45,200 hectares in 2024 to 53,100 hectares in 2025. The increase reverses a brief dip and confirms a steady upward trend since 2020.

Opium, derived from poppy plants, is the primary naturally occurring ingredient used in heroin production. The world’s three main sources of illicit opium are Afghanistan, Colombia and Myanmar. For the first time, significant poppy cultivation has also been recorded in Myanmar’s Sagaing region, which borders Northeast India. The conflict-ridden area saw 552 hectares under poppy cultivation, signalling a shift towards insecure western border regions.

Myanmar has emerged as the world’s largest source of illicit opium following the collapse of production in Afghanistan, where cultivation fell by nearly 95 per cent after a Taliban ban in 2023. Total opium output in Myanmar is estimated at around 1,010 metric tonnes in 2025, more than double Afghanistan’s current level.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that Myanmar’s farmers earned between USD 300 million and USD 487 million from opium sales last year, making it a critical source of income amid the country’s fragile legal economy.

Beyond opiates, Myanmar remains a major hub for the production of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and ketamine, compounding what UNODC describes as a “highly challenging illicit drug situation” across Southeast Asia and beyond.

Investigations by the NCB into a recent seizure of over 6 kg of heroin in Assam’s Barak Valley revealed that the consignment originated in Myanmar and was trafficked through forest corridors in Manipur. Similar probes by the DRI, Customs, Assam Rifles and Manipur Police this year have also traced seized consignments back to Myanmar.

Officials note that while opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar and Southeast Asia was historically marked by small, loosely organised plots, cultivation methods have become increasingly sophisticated since 2022, resulting in higher yields and a growing flow of narcotics into neighbouring regions, including Northeast India.

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