Operation Trident Raids 38 Sites in Northeast, Uncovers Rs 100-Crore Hawala Trail

The multi-agency police action resulted in the arrest of 18 persons and freezing of 1,424 bank accounts and attachment of properties worth Rs 17.82 crore. Investigators also found out that there were suspected hawala transactions worth of Rs 99.95 crore and 500 detonators were recovered and Rs 12 lakh in cash recovered.

This was a strike at the logistical and financial systems of a transnational drug syndicate that is said to have been active in the India-Myanmar-Bangladesh axis.

The NCB carried out the operation with the help of the NCB team of Mizoram Police, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other enforcement agencies. This followed in-depth intelligence gathering, joint target mapping and coordinated planning.

Searches and investigations were conducted at known sites in the three states by 38 teams of multi-agencies. Key areas were Aizawl (Mizoram), Champhai and Zokhawthar (Mizoram), Churachandpur (Manipur) and Cachar transit (Assam).

Suspected facilitators, shell organizations, money mules and money laundering activities in connection with the cartel activities were the major targets of investigators. Financial profiling and digital investigations were used to help agencies determine the network's centers of operations and financial facilitators earlier.

The Cross-Border Drug Trafficking Network is being scanned

Investigators were able to identify one alleged kingpin, Thangcintuang, also known as Chintuang/Tluanga, from Myanmar. He was the wanted man in over 10 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, NCB Police and Champhai Police and Mizoram Excise.

He was then arrested in Delhi after surveillance and followup operations across the states, it said.

The traffic of Myanmar-origin methamphetamine and heroin into Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Tripura, and onwards to other areas of India and Bangladesh, is allegedly a co-ordinated effort by the cartel.

The General Assembly shall name key associates and financial operators.

Previous investigations had resulted in the arrest of some alleged facilitators and associates associated with the network.

Vungkhanthawna was identified as one of the key facilitators who facilitated the movement and delivery of drug consignment from Myanmar and was arrested and subsequently detained under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act.

According to sources, Lalrampari was arrested by the NCB on August 8, 2024 and was characterized as a primary hawala operator. Investigators linked up nearly Rs 100 crore of suspected cash flows through hawala and coordinated efforts were made with the ED and linked assets were frozen.

On November 20, 2025, another alleged operative Abu Saleh (Saifuddin) was arrested in Cachar. He was the logistics officer of Assam corridor and was believed to be involved in the movement of narcotics drugs through this area.

The arrests, combined with money laundering investigations and digital evidence, helped to create a picture of the broader network in the run-up to the latest round of coordinated arrests.The arrests, in conjunction with financial investigations and digital forensics, helped to paint a picture of the wider network before the latest coordinated arrests.

AMIT SHAH, JYOTIRADITYA SCINDIA WELCOME OPERATION

Union Home Minister Amit Shah encouraged all coordinated efforts, and congratulated the anti-narcotics teams and police officials of Assam, Mizoram and Manipur.

In a post on X, Shah said that the government was continuing its efforts in the fight against drugs with simultaneous raids on an international drug syndicate. He pointed to the trail of money they had uncovered, the bank accounts they have frozen and the properties they have seized and the arrests they made during the operation.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia also welcomed the crackdown saying that it had sent a strong message that the Northeast would not be a hub for movement of contraband.

Coordinated action was a support to the Government's resolve to establish a 'Nasha Mukt Bharat', Scindia said, adding thanks to the role played by the agencies of the Centre and State Police personnel.

Operation Trident also fits in with a government Vision on Narcotics Control for the years 2026-2029 where intelligence-led investigations and coordination and disruption of the financial networks behind drug trafficking are all key points.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susmita Modak

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Always love to raise the unraised matter. In a world of worries, I am always ready to come over my comfort zone and taking the step ahead of spreading awareness.

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