Rs 275 Cr worth illegal opium crop destroyed in Rajasthan

Narcotics Control Bureau officials have unearthed and destroyed an illegal opium poppy cultivation spread across 170 acres in the hilly terrain of Udaipur district in Rajasthan.
According to official sources, the plantation, estimated to be worth around Rs. 275 crore in the illicit market, was identified during a special enforcement drive in remote mountainous areas. The entire crop was subsequently destroyed to prevent diversion for illegal narcotics production.
Opium is extracted from the latex of the poppy plant and is used in the manufacture of certain pain-relief medicines. However, it is also processed into narcotic substances and is strictly regulated under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
Officials said further investigation is under way to identify those behind the illegal cultivation.