Guwahati: Security forces in the northeastern state of Mizoram have seized narcotic drugs valued at nearly Rs. 62 crore in the international market in different operations on a single day.
The security forces also nabbed five Myanmar nationals in connection with one of the seizures and recovered Indian currency worth over Rs. 1.21 crore from their possession.
The Assam Rifles on Monday said that troopers of the paramilitary force along with the Mizoram police have seized 15.915 kilograms of methamphetamine, an addictive tablet widely used by drug addicts, valued at Rs. 42 crore in the grey market, during an operation carried out in Zokhawthar village of the hill state’s Champhai district bordering Myanmar.
On the other hand, based on specific input, a joint team of the Assam Rifles and Mizoram police, while carrying out a series of operations in Zote and Zokhawthar villages in the same district, recovered 2.61 kilograms of heroin, valued at Rs. 18.30 crore in the international market.
The security forces also apprehended five Myanmar nationals for allegedly being involved in the trafficking of the narcotic substance and recovered Indian currency worth Rs 1.21 crore from their possession.
India shares a 1,643-kilometre-long border with Myanmar.
Four of the northeastern states- Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh share international borders with the neighbouring country.
While Mizoram shares a 510-kilometer-long border with Myanmar, Manipur shares 398 kilometers, Nagaland (215), and Arunachal Pradesh (520).
The traffickers widely use the porous borders in Mizoram and Manipur to smuggle various contraband items into India from Myanmar.
These contraband items include narcotic drugs, arms and ammunition, Burmese areca nuts, wild exotic animals, foreign cigarettes, and gold among others.
However, due to the ongoing crisis including road blockades by various organisations in Manipur, the traffickers have been avoiding the Manipur corridor and have started to smuggle illegal items through the Mizoram corridor, owing to which, the Mizoram police has stepped up vigilance along the international borders in the state.
Mizoram Director General of Police (DGP), Anil Shukla, said, “The traffickers have been using the Mizoram route to smuggle various contraband items into India from Myanmar due to the current situation in Manipur. We have stepped up vigilance along the international borders with Myanmar in our state. Our teams have recently seized a huge quantity of heroin from Champhai and Kolasib districts.”
The DGP further said that the traffickers mostly use the international borders in the state’s Champhai district to smuggle contraband items.