Songpi: Manipur Police have arrested a notorious Meitei narco-terrorist drug kingpin from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in connection with a major codeine-smuggling racket that has exposed the deep-rooted narco-terror network operating in the valley. The arrested person has been identified as Nongthombam Jamesjit alias Thoi, owner of Kangla Drugs & Surgical Pharmacy. He was arrested on October 6, 2026, after being on the run, and a four-day transit remand has been obtained to bring him to Manipur for detailed interrogation.
Police sources said Jamesjit was wanted in an FIR registered at Porompat Police Station after three drug peddlers were arrested with contraband on October 4. During sustained interrogation, the arrested peddlers disclosed that the entire consignment belonged to Jamesjit and that he was the mastermind behind the smuggling operation. Based on technical surveillance and intelligence inputs, his location was traced to Ahmedabad, where he had fled to evade arrest. A Manipur Police team with assistance from Gujarat Police arrested him.
The arrest is being seen as a major breakthrough against the Meitei narco-terrorist nexus which, according to security agencies, uses proceeds from drug trafficking to fund terror activities and destabilize the state. Police said that licensed pharmacies are being used as a front to procure large quantities of codeine-based cough syrups from pharmaceutical companies under the guise of legitimate sale, which are then diverted into the illegal market. This modus operandi has become the backbone of the valley-based narco-terror economy.
Following the disclosure of one of the arrested accused, a joint team of Manipur Police, Central Forces and YADAM (Youth Against Drug Abuse Movement) launched an extensive search operation along the Oinam Thingel riverbank in Imphal West. The operation led to the recovery of 52 boxes containing 8,320 bottles of CHOCO+ syrup, each containing Codeine Phosphate 10 mg. Police said the contraband was carefully concealed along the riverbank and was ready for onward smuggling.
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Codeine syrup, though a prescribed medicine for cough, is widely abused as an intoxicant when consumed in large quantities. It is highly addictive and forms a major part of the narco-terror drug trade in Manipur. The seized quantity, estimated to be worth crores of rupees in the illicit market, points to the massive scale of operation run by the arrested narco-terrorist kingpin. Officials said the syrups were likely meant to be smuggled outside Manipur through interstate networks.
Investigation has revealed that Nongthombam Jamesjit, as the owner of Kangla Drugs & Surgical Pharmacy, allegedly misused his drug license to procure huge stocks of CHOCO+ syrup directly from distributors. Records are now being verified to ascertain how many thousands of bottles were procured in the past year and how they were shown as sold without prescriptions. Police said this pharmacy is just one node of a larger Meitei narco-terrorist drug cartel that operates with the support of several other pharmacies and distributors in Imphal valley.
The recovery along the riverbank has also highlighted the methods used by narco-terrorists to conceal contraband in public places, riverbanks and abandoned areas to avoid police checking. Manipur shares a porous border with Myanmar and is part of the drug transit corridor originating from the Golden Triangle. Security agencies have repeatedly flagged that proceeds from this narco-trade are being used to fund armed groups and fuel violence in the state.
YADAM, which was part of the joint recovery team, welcomed the arrest and said that the seizure exposes how deep the Meitei narco-terrorist network has penetrated. The organisation demanded a full audit of all pharmacies in Imphal area and cancellation of licenses of those involved in illegal diversion of codeine syrups. It also urged the government to ensure that the kingpin does not get bail and that his entire financial assets and properties are investigated under anti-narco-terror laws.
Manipur Police said further investigation is underway to unearth the entire supply chain, financial trail, interstate links and possible cross-border connections of this Meitei narco-terrorist group. The three persons arrested earlier are in custody and more arrests are expected in the coming days. A case under relevant sections of the NDPS Act has been registered at Porompat Police Station and stringent sections related to organised narco-terrorism may be invoked as investigation progresses.
