TURA, Nov 20: Police in Tura have seized several hundred narcotic tablets and arrested a peddler in a successful operation aimed at curbing the menace of drug trafficking and substance abuse which has become a serious nuisance in society across many parts of the Northeastern region.
Based on credible inputs about the movement of a consignment of narcotics in the town, Tura Police on Wednesday alerted its mobile units about a suspect who was shortly after intercepted at Rongkhon, on the outskirts of the town, while coming from Dakopgre locality.
The accused, identified as Bilgrang S Sangma, was detained for questioning and later led police search teams to his temporary residence at Dakopgre from where narcotic yaba tablets totalling 589 in number were seized.
Search is on to nab other collaborators of the accused who is believed to have obtained the drugs from their handlers.
Drug traffickers have been smuggling in this highly toxic yaba drug from Myanmar through Bangladesh as they see a flourishing trade in illegal substances in the Northeastern region. Unlike cocaine, heroin or marijuana (ganja), it is not bulky in weight or size making it a potential product for smuggling in by the traffickers.
Myanmar (Burma) is the largest producer of methamphetamine (yaba) in the world and is smuggled through the porous border into Thailand and Bangladesh from where it makes its way easily into the North East.
In the last one-and-half year there has been substantial seizure of the drug in several places in the state, including the plain-belt region of Garo Hills and along some parts of the international border with Bangladesh.
A month ago, several peddlers were arrested from Baghmara town in South Garo Hills while attempting to sell the substance to another buyer.
However, the number of seizures is believed to be a tiny portion in comparison to that which is getting through.