Officers of the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) destroyed 1,032 hectares (12,900 bighas) of illicit cannabis cultivation in Himachal Pradesh in an operation conducted over two weeks and announced on 20 September 2022.[1][2] Acting on intelligence about illicit cultivation, CBN teams verified the information through physical surveys that detected further areas under cultivation, then began the destruction drive with the district administration, the Forest Department and the police.[1] Four CBN teams worked in different areas, later joined by officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.[1]
The teams paired enforcement with village awareness meetings about the effects of drugs and the penal provisions of the NDPS Act, after which villagers passed resolutions and helped destroy plantations under CBN supervision.[1] Officers worked steep rainy terrain, climbing to 11,000 feet and camping in sensitive areas during the apple and pomegranate harvest season, and used GPS tagging and drones to detect and monitor cultivation.[1] The Narcotics Commissioner said the crackdown would continue with the same vigour in other parts of the country.[1]
