AIZAWL:
Law enforcement agencies in Mizoram have seized methamphetamine tablets worth over Rs 251 crore in the state during the last three days.
Assam Rifles troopers, together with Mizoram police, recovered 55.80 kgs of Methamphetamine tablets from Melbuk village near the Indo-Myanmar border in Champhai district on September 23, sources from the paramilitary force said.
“The operation was carried out by a joint team of Serchhip Battalion and Zokhawthar Police based on specific information. The team noticed a suspicious vehicle around 6:55pm. When the vehicle was frisked, 50 bundles of methamphetamine were recovered inside from it,” it said.
Alleged owner of the contraband, a woman, was arrested and handed over to Zokhawthar police station on Saturday, it said, adding that the recovered drugs are worth Rs 167.86 crore in the international market.
This was the third consecutive day such a huge consignment of methamphetamine has been recovered in Mizoram, all in Champhai district.
On the night of September 21, Champhai Police recovered 12.59 kgs of methamphetamine from a truck at Tuipui village in Champhai district. The recovered drugs were worth Rs 37 crores.
On further investigation, police recovered another 15.67 kgs of the same contraband from the same truck on September 22.
The drugs were concealed in a specially designed chamber fixed inside the cabin of the truck, police said.
The total methamphetamine recovered from the truck came to 28.250 kgs (2,52,500 tablets) valued at over Rs 84 crores in international market, they said.
Three persons, Habibur Rahman (20) from Karimganj in Assam, Jubair Ahmed (22) from Karimganj in Assam and Badrul Haque (40) from Dharmanagar in Tripura were arrested in this connection.
Since recent times, it has become a daily routine for Mizoram police and the state excise and narcotics department to recover drugs in the state, which is a strong indication that the Indo-Myanmar drug route in the state has become more active ever than before.
“It is true that Mizoram is one of the preferred drug route from Myanmar to India and Bangladesh. But smuggling activities have alarmingly increased since last year, which can be attributed to the current political scenario in neighbouring Myanmar,” said Peter Zohmingthanga, spokesperson for Mizoram Excise & Narcotics department.
The quantity of heroin seized in Mizoram by the excise and narcotics department alone significantly jumped from 11.710 kgs in 2020 to 18.906 kgs in 2021, he said.
The quantity of heroin seized in Mizoram this year has already reached 18.430 kgs, he added.