To combat illegal opium poppy cultivation, Taihe County uses unmanned aerial survey aircraft to crack down.

In recent years, due to increasing efforts to crack down on illegal opium poppy cultivation year by year, the phenomenon of opium poppy cultivation in Taihe County has changed greatly, but there are still a small number of people who are lucky to grow against the wind. In order to avoid the attack, opium poppy cultivation is becoming more and more hidden, often choosing places that are not easy to find, such as ditches and canals, ruined walls, abandoned yards and so on.

In order to crack down on illegal opium poppy cultivation in accordance with the law and ensure the completion of the target task of banning planting and shoveling drugs in spring, Taihe County contacted Anhui Police Academy on the basis of comprehensive investigation, using its high-tech unmanned aerial survey aircraft to carry out aerial survey and remote sensing monitoring of the county in order to completely eradicate the illegal cultivation of opium poppy.

On April 20, for the first time, small drones took off and conducted aerial inspections in two townships. Because the poppy plant was small at that time, it had not reached the flowering stage, the recognition rate was low, and the condition was not mature, the effect of the first test was not obvious.

In June, when the poppy blossoms, easy to identify, high resolution, after comprehensive analysis, comprehensive research and judgment, decided to select four townships to officially start aerial survey. In three days, a comprehensive aerial survey was carried out in four townships, and aerial remote sensing monitoring was combined with ground computer feedback, and then the staff of Anhui Police College analyzed and verified according to various indicators according to the specific spectrum of plants to determine whether there was opium poppy cultivation. After three days of monitoring, a total of 8 opium poppy planting sites were found.

UAV can shoot a wide range, can send back on-site high-definition pictures, no blind areas, can hover in the air to take pictures, improve the accuracy of detection, so that the work of shoveling drugs is targeted. At the same time, in the form of videos and photos, it is not only available for review, but also provides evidence for drug shoveling.

This drone aerial survey is the first time adopted by the county to jointly crack down on illegal opium poppy cultivation and improve the efficiency of drug eradication. It also shows the high-pressure situation of our county in cracking down on illegal and criminal activities of opium poppy cultivation, as well as the work confidence and attitude of shoveling drugs.

(Zhao Jun and Hu Xiang, Narcotics Office of Taihe County)