Daijiworld Media Network - Aizawl
Aizawl, Oct 10: The Assam Rifles, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, seized methamphetamine tablets and foreign-made cigarettes worth around Rs 10 crore in three separate operations in Mizoram and arrested two alleged smugglers and drug peddlers, officials said on Saturday.
A defence spokesman said troops of the Assam Rifles launched a targeted operation in the Tlangsam area of Champhai district following credible intelligence about the transshipment of narcotics.
During the operation, the team thoroughly searched the suspected area and recovered 11 kg of methamphetamine tablets packed in 10 boxes. The seized contraband has an estimated market value of Rs 8.80 crore.
The drugs were subsequently handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department in Champhai for further investigation and legal proceedings.
Methamphetamine tablets, also known as Yaba or party tablets, contain a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine. The highly addictive substance is misused as a high-dose drug in India, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. The drug is banned in India.
In the second operation, the Assam Rifles acted on specific intelligence about the smuggling of contraband items in the Bethel area of Champhai district. The team recovered 30 cases of illegal foreign-origin V cigarettes valued at approximately Rs 72 lakh and apprehended one person.
The seized cigarettes and the apprehended individual were handed over to the Legal Metrology Department in Champhai district for further investigation and legal proceedings.
In the third operation, the Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with the Aizawl District Executive Force, conducted a search at Seling following specific intelligence about cigarette smuggling.
The team recovered 14 master boxes and 249 boxes of foreign-origin cigarettes containing a total of 1,89,800 cigarette sticks, valued at approximately Rs 47.45 lakh.
One person was apprehended, and a car allegedly used to transport the contraband was seized. The individual, along with the seized cigarettes and vehicle, was handed over to the Aizawl District Executive Force for further legal proceedings.
According to an Assam Rifles statement, the operations reflect the force's continued commitment to curbing the smuggling of contraband in close coordination with civil agencies and maintaining security in Mizoram.
Mizoram and Manipur have emerged as major drug-trafficking corridors in the Northeast because of 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, leaving the region vulnerable to cross-border smuggling of narcotics and other contraband.