K9 units to enhance drug detecting capabilities of ANTF
Shillong, Aug 21: In what indicates the immensity of drug trafficking as well as the government’s efforts contain it, the state police have seized drugs worth over Rs 400 crore and arrested over 1,000 accused persons in the past five years.
“Total value of the seized narcotics in the past five years is more than Rs 412 crore,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) of Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) Giri Prasad told reporters on Thursday.
The state police have already destroyed half of the seized narcotics inside the Star Cement factory in East Jaintia Hills district, he said, adding that 1,061 persons have been arrested during the period.
Meanwhile, he said, an increased trend in drug trafficking cases was noticed from 2023 to 2025 as nearly 100 people were arrested this year so far.
According to SP ANTF, there are two types of trafficking: consumer-based, targeting Meghalaya’s youth, and transit-based, where drugs are smuggled through the state to other destinations.
He revealed that due to intensified checking, some traffickers are exploring alternative routes to supply to other states.
“…those kinds of cases have increased and we have been very successful in those seizures in the recent years,” Prasad stated.
The ANTF has been focusing on entry and exit points, particularly in Ri-Bhoi and East Jaintia Hills districts, where large quantities of drugs are smuggled into the state.
He noted that Ri-Bhoi and East Jaintia Hills being the state’s major entry and exit points and more vulnerable to drug trafficking, the ANTF has focused on these two districts while keeping a tab on other districts as well.
The recent seizure of contrabands worth Rs 4 crore in a single day was in a joint operation between the ANTF and East Jaintia Hills district police.
While the ANTF exists in all districts of Meghalaya it expects to receive K9 units in November, which will enhance their capabilities in detecting narcotics.
