Daijiworld Media Network - Aizwal
Aizawl, Mar 5: Security agencies in Mizoram have uncovered a major drug trafficking network during a series of coordinated operations along the India–Myanmar border, seizing methamphetamine tablets and heroin worth nearly Rs 36 crore and arresting seven suspected traffickers, officials confirmed on Thursday.
Authorities said the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), working together with Mizoram’s Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) and the State Excise and Narcotics Department, conducted three joint raids at separate locations along the international border. During these operations, officials confiscated 36.434 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 905 grams of heroin, with the recovered narcotics estimated to be worth about Rs 31 crore in the illicit market. Four suspects, including a Myanmar national, were taken into custody in connection with these seizures.
In a separate set of operations, police in Champhai district—located in eastern Mizoram near the Myanmar border—intercepted another drug consignment valued at more than ?4.88 crore. Three individuals, including two Myanmar nationals, were arrested during the action.
According to police, the operation began during routine surveillance near Chhungte village, situated below the border town of Champhai, which is known as a key transit route close to the international boundary with Myanmar. Officers stopped a suspicious car for inspection when a scooter suddenly sped past the checkpoint, raising suspicion and triggering an immediate pursuit.
Realising they were being chased, the riders abandoned the scooter and attempted to escape on foot. Police personnel quickly launched a chase and successfully apprehended all three suspects.
The arrested individuals were identified as Lalhriathlua (26) from Vaphai in Mizoram’s Champhai district, and Kaplianmanga (45) and Lalnunzira (21), both residents of Tlangkawi in Myanmar’s Chin State.
Mizoram Police described the operation as a significant success in the district’s ongoing campaign against narcotics smuggling, which has long posed challenges in the region’s border areas.
Cases have been registered at Champhai Police Station under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, as well as the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. Officials said investigations are continuing to trace the origin of the seized drugs and identify the wider distribution network connected to the consignment.
Methamphetamine tablets—commonly known as Yaba or “party pills”—contain a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine. Often referred to as the “crazy drug,” the substance is banned in India due to its highly addictive nature.
Mizoram’s geographic location makes it particularly vulnerable to cross-border trafficking. The state shares a 510-kilometre unfenced border with Myanmar and a 318-kilometre porous, mountainous boundary with Bangladesh, both of which are frequently exploited by smugglers.
Officials noted that Myanmar’s Chin State has emerged as a major source of illegal trafficking, with contraband—ranging from narcotics and wildlife products to foreign cigarettes and Myanmar areca nuts—often routed through six Mizoram districts: Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip.