Assam Rifles seize Rs 1.18Cr in areca nuts & narcotics in Mizoram, arrest 2 in Champhai ops. Read about the cross-border smuggling bust!
Aizawl, May 3 (IANS) – In a major crackdown on cross-border smuggling, the Assam Rifles, in coordination with other enforcement agencies, seized areca nuts and narcotics valued at Rs 1.18 crore and arrested two individuals in separate operations across Mizoram over the last 24 hours, officials confirmed on Saturday.
According to a defence spokesperson, acting on precise intelligence inputs regarding illegal transport of smuggled goods, the Assam Rifles along with Customs officials launched an operation on Friday in the Tlangsam region of Champhai district. The operation led to the recovery of 187 bags of areca nuts reportedly trafficked from neighboring Myanmar. A truck carrying the contraband was intercepted and seized during the raid. The truck driver was also taken into custody.
The seized goods, along with the apprehended individual and vehicle, were subsequently handed over to the Customs Preventive Force in Champhai for further legal proceedings.
In a separate operation conducted the same day, Assam Rifles personnel, in partnership with the Mizoram Excise and Narcotics Department, carried out a patrol in the direction of Zote village, also located in Champhai district. During this mission, troops intercepted and confiscated heroin estimated to be worth Rs 16.66 lakh and apprehended one suspected drug trafficker. The narcotics and the detainee were handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department for investigation.
Despite intensified surveillance and border control efforts, drug trafficking – particularly of methamphetamine pills and heroin – continues to pose a serious challenge in India’s northeastern region. Myanmar, which shares a 1,643-km unfenced border with four northeastern states – Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram – remains a crucial conduit for smuggling operations into India.
The Chin State in Myanmar is especially notorious for being a trafficking hotspot, facilitating the illegal movement of drugs, exotic wildlife, and other contraband through six Mizoram districts: Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip. (Edited)
