Drugs worth Rs 16.72 crore seized in Mizoram, Tripura; three held

Aizawl/Agartala, June 1 (IANS) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Assam Rifles have seized banned highly addictive methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 16.72 crore and arrested three drug peddlers in Mizoram and Tripura, officials said on Sunday.

An official said that acting on a tip-off, DRI officials recovered and seized 10 packets, containing 9.72 kg of methamphetamine tablets concealed in a chamber on the rear seat of a vehicle at Seling in Aizawl district on Saturday. The value of the drugs was estimated to be Rs 9.72 crore. The driver of the vehicle was also arrested.

In another development, Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with the officials of DRI, recovered 70,000 methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 7 crore from a vehicle at Teliamura in Tripura’s Khowai district on Sunday. The contraband was being carried in a WagonR. Two individuals were apprehended during the operation, and they were identified as Shyamal Majumdar and Malay Debnath, both residents of Tripura. Apprehended individuals, along with the recovered narcotics, were handed over to the DRI for further investigation and legal proceedings.

This operation underscores Assam Rifles’ continued efforts in combating drug trafficking and maintaining security in the region, a defence spokesman said.

Methamphetamine tablets, also called ‘crazy drug’ or yaba or party tablets, have been banned in India.

According to an official, a preliminary investigation has revealed that the contraband was smuggled from Myanmar through the Zokhawthar sector of the India-Myanmar border.

Since January, the DRI has seized banned methamphetamine worth over Rs 72 crore in Mizoram and arrested seven people in drug-related cases during this period.

Officials said that, as usual, the seized drugs in Mizoram and Tripura were smuggled from Myanmar, which shares a 1,643 km unfenced border with four northeastern states of Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland. This unfenced international border serves as a key transit point for drugs, particularly heroin and methamphetamine tablets, entering India.

--IANS

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