Daijiworld Media Network - Aizawl

Aizawl, Mar 3: In a major crackdown on drug smuggling, Assam Rifles, in coordination with Mizoram Police, seized narcotics worth Rs 66.31 cr in two separate joint operations in Champhai district, which shares an unfenced border with Myanmar.

According to a defence spokesperson, security forces recovered a massive consignment of Methamphetamine tablets weighing 20.20 kg, valued at Rs 60.62 cr, from Crossing Point One, Zokhawthar, on Saturday. Acting on specific intelligence, the team intercepted and seized the consignment near the Myanmar border. However, no arrests were made.

In another operation, Assam Rifles and Mizoram Police confiscated 492 grams of heroin worth Rs 3.69 cr from the World Bank Road in Zokhawthar. The narcotics were being transported on a scooter by two individuals, who managed to flee upon being challenged by the troops. The seized consignment has been handed over to the police for further legal action.

Mizoram, with its 510 km-long unfenced border with Myanmar’s Chin state, remains a hotspot for drug smuggling. Champhai district, in particular, is a key transit point for narcotics entering India. Smuggled drugs from Myanmar often travel through Mizoram and Assam before reaching Tripura and further into Bangladesh.

Despite significant fencing along the India-Bangladesh border, the open India-Myanmar border continues to pose a major challenge in curbing illicit trafficking.