Guwahati, Dec 23: Smuggling of opium-based narcotics, particularly heroin, into the Northeast has shown an increasing trend, if seizures are any indicators, and this appears to be directly linked to Myanmar where poppy cultivation has surged to a ten-year high.
Heroin seizures by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the Northeast stood at 7 kg in 2023, rose to 9 kg in 2024, and surged to 31 kg this year. Of this, 17 kg was seized in Assam alone.
Figures from the Assam Police are significantly higher. Heroin seizures by the force increased 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.
According to the Myanmar Opium Survey 2025, poppy cultivation in Myanmar rose by 17 per cent over the past year, amid ongoing conflict and economic collapse in the country.
Cultivation expanded from 45,200 hectares in 2024 to 53,100 hectares in 2025, reversing a brief dip and confirming 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 area – considered the epicentre of the country’s conflict since the 2021 military takeover – saw 552 hectares under poppy cultivation, signalling a shift toward 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 dropped 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 crucial income source 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, further 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 the Barak valley of Assam revealed that the consignment originated in Myanmar and was trafficked through forest corridors in Manipur. Similar investigations by the DRI, Customs, Assam Rifles and Manipur Police this year have also traced seized consignments back to Myanmar.
Historically, opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar and Southeast Asia was characterised by small, poorly organised plots. However, since 2022, cultivation methods in Myanmar have become increasingly sophisticated, resulting in higher yields and a greater flow of narcotics into neighbouring regions.