Daijiworld Media Network - Aizawl/Imphal
Aizawl/Imphal, Sep 20: Security forces in Mizoram and Manipur have seized methamphetamine tablets and heroin worth more than Rs 3.68 crore in separate operations and arrested five alleged drug peddlers, officials said on Sunday.
In Mizoram, acting on specific intelligence about the illegal transportation of narcotics, Assam Rifles and Mizoram Police launched a joint operation in the T-Junction areas of Mimbung-Kawlbem-Ngopa in Saitual district.
During the operation, the joint team apprehended a suspected drug peddler and recovered 2.285 kg of methamphetamine tablets, estimated to be worth around Rs 1.83 crore.
The arrested person and the seized contraband were handed over to Ngopa Police Station for further investigation and legal action under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
In another operation, based on intelligence regarding the transshipment of narcotics at Iron Gate near Zokhawthar in Champhai district, Assam Rifles troops and Mizoram Police launched a targeted operation in the area.
Zokhawthar, located along the Myanmar border, is considered a key corridor for the illegal movement of narcotics.
The joint team intercepted a suspected smuggler at Iron Gate and recovered 28 grams of heroin valued at around Rs 5.6 lakh. The accused was arrested and subsequently handed over, along with the seized contraband, to Zokhawthar Police Station for further investigation and legal proceedings under the NDPS Act.
An official statement said the seizures reflected the Assam Rifles' continued efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks and protect the border population in Mizoram.
The operations also highlighted the intelligence-based approach and coordination between Assam Rifles and Mizoram Police in tackling narcotics trafficking, the statement said.
In Manipur, a joint team of state police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Assam Rifles arrested two suspected drug peddlers in Senapati district and recovered 2.3 kg of methamphetamine tablets packed in 10 packets.
The seized drugs were estimated to be worth Rs 1.80 crore.
The arrested accused were identified as Rohim Ali, 23, and Anowar Hussiain Laskar, 48, both residents of Assam's Goalpara district.
During the subsequent investigation, the joint team also arrested their alleged accomplice, Md Nawaz Khan, a resident of Mayai Leikai in Imphal.
A Bolero vehicle and Rs 5,000 in cash were also recovered from the accused, officials said.
Mizoram and Manipur have emerged as key 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.
Six districts of Mizoram and five districts of Manipur share around 910 km of unfenced international border with Myanmar, making the region vulnerable to cross-border narcotics trafficking.