Assam Rifles seize drugs worth Rs 6.43 crore in Mizoram; Manipur Police recover brown sugar worth Rs 15 crore

Aizawl/Imphal: Methamphetamine tablets, a highly addictive synthetic drug banned in India, continue to be among the major narcotics smuggled from Myanmar into the Northeast. In the latest seizures, the Assam Rifles recovered methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 6.40 crore and heroin valued at Rs 3.71 lakh in Mizoram, while Manipur Police seized brown sugar worth around Rs 15 crore in Churachandpur district and arrested a suspected drug peddler, officials said on Thursday.

A defence spokesman in Mizoram said that, acting on specific intelligence regarding the transshipment of narcotics through Crossing Point-I at Zokhawthar along the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram’s Champhai district, Assam Rifles personnel launched a targeted operation on Wednesday night.

During the operation, the troops thoroughly searched the suspected area and recovered seven packets of methamphetamine tablets weighing approximately eight kg, the spokesman said.

The seized contraband has an estimated market value of Rs 6.40 crore. The recovered narcotics were subsequently handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department in Champhai for further necessary action. Champhai district shares a porous and mountainous international border with Myanmar.

In a separate operation, the Assam Rifles seized heroin worth approximately Rs 3.71 lakh and apprehended two persons at Seling in Aizawl district on Wednesday, reaffirming the force's commitment to combating drug trafficking and maintaining peace and security in Mizoram.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs received from its own sources and corroborated by Bawngkawn Police Station, the Assam Rifles launched a targeted operation that led to the recovery of two soap cases containing 18.54 grams of heroin from a vehicle. The vehicle was also seized.

The two apprehended persons, along with the recovered narcotics and the seized vehicle, were handed over to Bawngkawn Police Station in Aizawl for further investigation and necessary legal proceedings under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The successful operations underscore the importance of actionable intelligence, inter-agency coordination and sustained vigilance in curbing drug trafficking in the region.

The seizures reflect the Assam Rifles' continued resolve to dismantle drug-trafficking networks and ensure the safety and security of the border population in Mizoram, an official statement said.

In Manipur, state police conducted an anti-drug operation at Valpakot village in Churachandpur district, during which a vehicle was intercepted and searched.

During the search, the police recovered approximately 7.732 kg of brown sugar, valued at around Rs 15 crore. The driver, identified as Lunminlal Mate, 29, a resident of Longja village in Chandel district, was arrested in connection with the seizure.

The contraband and the vehicle allegedly used for transporting the drugs were also seized by the police.

Mizoram and Manipur have emerged as major drug-trafficking corridors in the Northeast, largely 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 a 910-km-long international border with Myanmar, making the two states particularly vulnerable to cross-border drug smuggling.

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