Daijiworld Media Network - Aizawl/Agartala
Aizawl/Agartala, Nov 23: Security and enforcement agencies across the Northeast have stepped up their offensive against drug trafficking, confiscating narcotics worth nearly ?100 crore and arresting 12 accused smugglers — among them four Myanmar nationals — over the past week, officials reported on Sunday.
According to officials, multiple agencies including the Assam Rifles, Border Security Force (BSF), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Excise and Narcotics Departments of Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur, along with state police units, carried out a series of coordinated and independent operations. The seizures included methamphetamine tablets, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and foreign-origin cigarettes across Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur and Assam.
Authorities highlighted a well-organised nexus connecting traffickers across Mizoram, Tripura, Assam and Myanmar, with Myanmar’s Chin state identified as the primary hub for narcotics entering the region.
In a major breakthrough on November 17, the Assam Rifles and the Customs Department dismantled an international drug syndicate linked to Pakistan. Acting on intelligence inputs, officials seized 800 grams of high-purity cocaine valued at nearly Rs 8 crore in Tripura and arrested two smugglers. Customs officials said the syndicate had been pushing cocaine into India through Punjab before routing it by road to the Northeast for further movement into Bangladesh and Southeast Asia via Mizoram.
The arrested traffickers, both residents of Bishalgarh in Tripura’s Sepahijala district, were apprehended during a joint operation in Agartala.
Meanwhile, in another major haul, Mizoram Police confiscated methamphetamine tablets and heroin worth Rs 41.64 crore during operations conducted on November 19 and 20. Three individuals — two from Assam and one from Manipur — were arrested for possessing drugs smuggled from Myanmar.
The seized methamphetamine tablets, popularly known as Yaba or “party pills”, contain a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine and remain among the most widely abused narcotics in India, Bangladesh and neighbouring regions. These tablets, banned in India, are commonly referred to as the “crazy drug”.
Mizoram’s extensive unfenced borders — 510 km with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh — make the state a crucial corridor for narcotics, wildlife trafficking and other contraband smuggled through districts such as Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual and Serchhip.
Earlier this month, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Director General Anurag Garg, speaking at the Regional Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) heads in Kohima, stressed that most heroin and synthetic drugs entering the Northeast originate from Myanmar. He noted that insurgent groups and organised criminal networks in the region are deeply entrenched in the illegal drug trade and associated criminal activities.
Garg further warned that drug trafficking fuels broader criminal ecosystems, increases violence, and places a heavy burden on healthcare infrastructure. Referring to a 2019 Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment survey, he highlighted that drug abuse rates in the Northeastern states remain significantly higher than in other parts of India.
In response to the escalating crisis, the Mizoram government launched a four-month-long anti-drug campaign on September 1. Inspector General of Police H. Ramthlengliana confirmed that the intensified enforcement drive will continue until December 31.