Drugs valued at over Rs 143 Cr seized in Manipur, Mizoram

By Our Staff Reporter
Imphal/Aizawl, Sep 18 : In a major haul, security forces seized drugs valued over Rs 143 crore and arrested three persons in Mizoram and Manipur over the past 24 hours.
While security forces seized methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 102.65 crore in Mizoram's Champhai district near Zote village,  Tengnoupal police confiscated methamphetamine tablets and brown sugar at Tengnoupal police station check-post.
According to IANS, the value of the methamphetamine tablets and brown sugar confiscated at Tengnoupal police station check-post is estimated to be around Rs 40 crore.
Tengnoupal police intercepted two silver Eeco vans with Assam registration plates at Tengnoupal Police Station check-post along the Asian Highway (Imphal-Moreh road) the previous morning and arrested two individuals for transporting contraband items.
In the first case, Hengougin Haokip (23), a resident of Luwangsangol village, Kangpokpi district, was apprehended after police recovered 11 soap cases containing 125 grams of brown sugar worth around Rs 10 crore from his vehicle.
He has  been remanded to police custody till September 25, 2025, for further investigation after being produced before the Tengnoupal District Court.
In the second case, Md Nousad, 21, a resident of Sora Mayai Leikai, Irengband, Kakching district, was arrested with 50 packets of methamphetamine tablets weighing 10.8 kilogram and worth around Rs 30 crore.
He too has been remanded to police custody till September 25, 2025, following Court proceedings.
Both seizures followed necessary legal formalities, and the arrested individuals are under investigation for their roles in transporting banned substances.
Meanwhile, according to IANS, a defence spokesman said that in a major strike against cross-border narco-trafficking, Assam Rifles, based on specific intelligence, conducted a search operation on Wednesday night near Zote village in Mizoram's Champhai District, which shares an unfenced border with Myanmar.
During the operation, troops intercepted a suspected individual carrying a consignment. On being challenged, the person abandoned the load and fled into the nearby deep jungle, taking advantage of the terrain. A thorough search of the area led to the recovery of 34.218 kg of highly addictive and banned methamphetamine tablets valued at over Rs 102.65 crore.
The spokesman said that in another operation, Assam Rifles seized 12 grams of heroin valued at approximately Rs 8.4 lakh at Zemabawk in Mizoram's Aizawl district on Wednesday night.
Acting on specific intelligence about the trafficking of narcotics, a joint operation of Assam Rifles with the Territorial Army, Aizawl, was launched at the Zemabawk areas and during the operation, one suspected drug peddler was intercepted and searched.
During the search of the individual, 12 grams of heroin were recovered from him. The apprehended individual was identified as Lalchchuanmawia (25), a resident of Zote in Champhai District.
The seized narcotics, along with the apprehended individual, have been handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department, Aizawl, for further investigation.
Assam Rifles also seized heroin valued at approximately Rs 20.10 crore in Mizoram.
According to a defence spokesman, acting on specific intelligence about the trafficking of narcotics, an operation was launched on Tuesday night at Thingluang Kai in the Melbuk Road area in Mizoram's Champhai district and seized 2.462 kg of heroin valued at Rs 20.10 crore.
A variety of drugs, especially highly addictive methamphetamine tablets and heroin and different types of contraband, including exotic animals, are often illegally traded through six districts in Mizoram -- Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip. These six districts share unfenced borders of 510 km with Myanmar. From Mizoram, these drugs are ferried to other parts of the country and abroad, including Bangladesh, through Assam and Tripura.
The latest seizure of drugs was the biggest haul of narcotics after the Mizoram Government, on September 1, launched a four-month-long special campaign and anti-drug operation to curb the illegal trade of drugs and their menace.