Guwahati:  A special court in Assam's Nagaon district has handed down a 20-year rigorous imprisonment sentence and a fine of ₹2 lakhs to Ramai Khezii Hopingson, a Manipur-based drug supplier. Hopingson, a resident of Manipur's Churachandpur district, was arrested in Nagaon in October 2021 in possession of 298.30 grams of heroin, according to the police.

Hopingson is described as a veteran narco-criminal and was considered one of the major drug suppliers in the entire northeast region before his arrest. He was apprehended while attempting to meet a Nagaon-based drug peddler named Habil Ali, as confirmed by Dhruba Bora, who was the additional superintendent of police (HQ) of Nagaon district at the time of Hopingson's arrest. Bora stated that the authorities had prior information about Hopingson and his illicit activities before he arrived at Nagaon Central Jail to meet Habil Ali, who was already a convict. "Hopingson was among the most wanted criminals in Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland. He was carrying heroin when he met Ali, and we caught him red-handed inside the jail," Bora explained.

A case was registered against Hopingson under Section 21(c) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, at Nagao Sadar Police Station on October 25, 2021, and the police submitted the chargesheet on December 13 of the same year. The initial investigation was conducted by Dhruba Bora, with assistance from Sub-Inspector Udayak Basumatary and Kundan Ravi Das. The final investigation and chargesheet were submitted by Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Nagaon's Kaliabor, Mrinmoy Das.

Throughout the investigation, law enforcement authorities recovered a substantial quantity of narcotics and other evidence from Hopingson's possession. "After arresting him, we searched all the places he visited in Nagaon. From a house in the Nonoi area, we recovered a substantial amount of heroin, some other narcotic products, and some documents," the police reported. Dhruba Bora, presently posted as DCP, Guwahati, revealed that Hopingson had an extensive network spanning Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland. "During the investigation, we found that he used to supply drugs from Manipur to many other parts of Northeastern states and other Indian states. He was a kingpin, and his arrest was a big success for us," Bora said.

This arrest comes amid ongoing efforts by Assam Police to combat drug trafficking, with several suspected drug peddlers from Manipur having been apprehended in Assam's Cachar district in the past two months. Police note that drug peddlers are constantly evolving their methods in response to law enforcement actions targeting the drug trade.

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