Daijiworld Media Network - Cachar (Assam)

Cachar (Assam), Sep 3: Security forces have seized highly addictive methamphetamine tablets valued at more than Rs 2.5 crore and arrested five alleged drug peddlers in southern Assam as part of a crackdown on narcotics trafficking networks, officials said on Thursday.

A defence spokesman said the Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with the Assam Police, seized a substantial consignment of methamphetamine tablets from the Badarpur area in Sribhumi district, formerly known as Karimganj district.

The operation led to the recovery of around 14,000 methamphetamine tablets, also known as yaba tablets, weighing 1.4 kg and having an estimated market value of Rs 2.5 crore.

Two vehicles, including a Mahindra SUV 300 and an Alto, along with five mobile handsets, were also seized during the operation.

Five alleged drug peddlers were apprehended, the spokesman said.

The arrested persons and recovered items were handed over to Sribhumi Police Station for further investigation and legal proceedings.

An official statement said the operation demonstrated strong inter-agency synergy and close coordination between the Assam Rifles and civil police, delivering a significant blow to narcotics trafficking networks operating in the region.

The operation further reaffirmed the commitment of the joint forces to disrupting the illicit drug supply chain and protecting communities from the menace of narcotics, it said.

Meanwhile, in another major crackdown on narcotics trafficking networks, the Assam Rifles, in coordination with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Manipur Police, on Wednesday seized brown sugar worth around Rs 80 crore and arrested a drug peddler in Manipur’s Jiribam district, which shares an inter-state border with southern Assam.

The defence spokesman said the operation resulted in the seizure of 10 packets containing approximately 10.891 kg of brown sugar, with an estimated market value of around Rs 80 crore.

Apart from the narcotics, Rs 1,500 in cash and a mobile handset were also recovered during the joint operation.

Manipur and Mizoram have emerged as major drug-trafficking corridors in the Northeast due to their long and porous international borders with Myanmar and their proximity to the Golden Triangle, one of the world’s major illicit narcotics-producing regions.

Myanmar shares a 1,643-km-long border with four Northeastern states — Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km) and Mizoram (510 km). Substantial stretches remain unfenced, leaving the region vulnerable to cross-border trafficking of drugs, particularly heroin and methamphetamine tablets.

Five districts of Manipur — Churachandpur, Tengnoupal, Chandel, Kamjong and Ukhrul — share the state’s 398-km-long international border with Myanmar, much of which remains unfenced.

The porous International Border and difficult terrain have posed significant challenges for security agencies in curbing the smuggling of narcotics and other contraband from across the border.