Hazaribag: Chatra police registered 71 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested 109 people during a crackdown on the illegal drug trade between Jan and July this year.Police seized 162.17 kg of opium, 703.099 grams of brown sugar, 128.228 kg of ganja, 3,561 kg of doda, 335.9 kg of doda husk and 236.7 kg of poppy seeds — a combined haul of over 4.4 tonnes. They also recovered Rs 3.28 lakh in cash from alleged traffickers.Preventive action was initiated against suspected traffickers, with three proposals submitted under the PIT-NDPS Act. One has been approved so far.Police also stepped up action against illegal poppy cultivation, destroying crops spread over 2,742.27 acres during 2025-26. Twenty-one cases were registered and 25 people arrested.In coordination with the district administration and the forest, agriculture and education departments, police identified 125 villages in 26 panchayats affected by poppy cultivation. Awareness programmes held at schools and public places from June 10 to 25 reached around 1,800 residents and 870 students and teachers.SP Animesh Naithany said the drive would continue with community support to make Chatra drug-free.
