However, the emerging trend is the entry of synthetic drugs, regarding which the bureau is in the process of collecting data.

“There were around 40,000 bighas of land under poppy cultivation in Nadia and another 10,000 bighas in Murshidabad when we spotted it in 2007. Between January and March that year, the NCB, in tandem with state security forces, had destroyed a large part of the crop. Since May, the agenda has been to ensure that the cultivation doesn’t resume,” Verma said.

Among the east zone states comprising West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and Sikkim, Bengal leads in the production of opium. Derived from the poppy plant, a part of the opium is refined to produce heroin, which is then trafficked to other parts of the country.

While he ruled out a terror link to the poppy cultivation in the state, senior officers of the Jharkhand CID admitted that Naxalites were supporting its cultivation in some interior districts of Jharkhand, such as Chapra, Hazaribag and Latera. However, they stopped short of affirming if the drugs produced there were being used to purchase arms and ammunition.

Verma also revealed that the influx of opium and heroin from the infamous “Golden Triangle” comprising Thailand, Laos and Myanmar had reduced considerably.

“The United Nations Committee on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has estimated that the worldwide narcotics trade is worth nearly US$ 540 billion, and a part of this is generated from the country,” he added.

“Among the Golden Triangle countries, Myanmar is the largest producer of opium and heroin. In the North-east, there is a lot of ganja production in Manipur. Opium is grown in some pockets there, as well as in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh. Gaya in Bihar, Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, parts of Jammu and Kashmir and large tracts in central Indian states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are also into opium cultivation,” Verma said.

Arrests and seizures during raids by the NCB and West Bengal CID (narcotic cell) have gone up and most of the action is taking place in Nadia. The CID has conducted raids in Tehatta I, Tehatta II, Karimpur I, Karimpur II, Kaliganj and Natashipara, among other places.

As a measure to prevent sowing of the crop during the season beginning from October, the NCB and police have taken the help of village authorities and district officials.