Army asks all units to take steps against drug trafficking

Against the backdrop of the arrest of an Army Colonel in connection with a narcotics smuggling case, the Indian Army has issued an advisory to its units to take steps to curb any such illegal activity.
An advisory has been sent to all the units and formations on the issue of drug trafficking for "curbing tendencies and activities" in that direction, sources said here today.
In the advisory, the Army has also expressed concern over the increasing use of drugs in the society, they said.
The advisory comes against the backdrop of the arrest of a defence ministry public relations officer at Imphal and six others in Manipur, with illegal drugs worth Rs 15 crore, meant to be smuggled out to bordering Myanmar.

On the arrest in Imphal in February this year, the Army Headquarters had said that the group was ferrying tablets of the banned pseudoephedrine, a decongestant that can be abused as stimulant, among other contraband, in three vehicles towards Moreh, a border town in Myanmar. The other drugs included Respifed, Omkop, Hilcold, Polyfed and Actidin tablets.
Army officers besides the civil police in Manipur are probing the case and are expected to file their report in this regard soon.