Cachar, Jan 21: Highly addictive methamphetamine tablets valued at over Rs 39 crore were seized, and three drug peddlers were arrested by law enforcement agencies in Assam’s Cachar district, officials said on Wednesday.
A defence spokesperson said that the Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), launched the operation based on specific inputs regarding drug trafficking in Cachar district in southern Assam.
During the operation, the team apprehended three individuals, all residents of Tripura, who were transporting 1.30 lakh methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 39 crore along National Highway-306 late on Tuesday night.
Two Tata trucks and two mobile phones in the possession of the accused were also seized, and further investigation is underway. An official statement said that the Assam Rifles has been at the forefront of anti-drug operations in the region, conducting regular operations to disrupt and dismantle narcotics networks.
The seizure is a significant milestone in efforts to combat drug trafficking, it said. National Highway-306 is a vital surface lifeline connecting Mizoram with the rest of the country via southern Assam.
Officials suspect that the methamphetamine tablets, also known as Yaba or party tablets or ‘crazy drug’, which contain a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine, were smuggled from Myanmar and entered southern Assam through Mizoram to be transported to other parts of the country or abroad. Methamphetamine tablets are banned in India.
Mizoram shares a 510-km unfenced border with Myanmar and a 318-km porous mountainous border with Bangladesh. Myanmar’s Chin state is a major hub for the smuggling of drugs, exotic wildlife and other contraband through six Mizoram districts — Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual and Serchhip.
Myanmar, which shares a 1,643-km unfenced border with four northeastern states — Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram — serves as a key transit point for drugs, particularly heroin and methamphetamine tablets, entering India.
IANS
