Aizawl, Sep 27 (IANS) The Assam Rifles under Spear Corps, with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Mizoram Police, seized a consignment of drugs worth Rs 17.89 crore from Champhai district in Mizoram, officials said on Sunday.
According to an official statement from the Indian Army, 1,25,680 kg of Areca Nuts and 25,440 kg of Poppy Seeds, valued at approximately Rs 17.89 crore, were seized from Champhai, a hot spot of illegal drug trade from Myanmar.
Earlier this month, security forces in Mizoram and Manipur seized methamphetamine tablets and heroin worth over Rs 3.68 crore and arrested five drug peddlers, officials said.
A defence spokesman said that on specific intelligence inputs regarding illegal transportation of narcotic substances, Assam Rifles had launched a joint operation with Mizoram Police in the T-Junction areas of Mimbung-Kawlbem-Ngopa in Saitual District.
During the operation, the joint team apprehended a drug peddler. Further search of the individual led to the recovery of 2.285 kg of the methamphetamine tablets, valued at approximately Rs 1.83 crore. The apprehended individual, along with the recovered contraband, was taken by the Ngopa Police station for further investigation and necessary legal action under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985.
In another operation, based on credible intelligence regarding the transhipment of narcotics at Iron Gate in the bordering Zokhawthar, troops of Assam Rifles, in coordination with Mizoram Police, launched a targeted operation in the area under the Champhai district.
During the operation, the joint team intercepted a drug smuggler at Iron Gate, and a thorough search recovered 28 grams of heroin, a highly dangerous narcotic substance with an estimated value of Rs 5.6 lakh. The individual was subsequently arrested. The seized contraband and the apprehended individual were subsequently handed over to Zokhawthar Police Station for further investigation and requisite legal proceedings under the NDPS Act.
The successful operations highlighted the operational effectiveness, vigilance and intelligence-based approach of border forces in combating the trafficking of narcotic substances and maintaining security in the region, an official statement said.
–IANS
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