Assam Rifles Capture Drug Smuggler with Heroin Worth Rs 15.4 Crore

Key Takeaways

Assam Rifles seized heroin valued at Rs 15.4 crore.
Drug dealer arrested in Churachandpur district.
Heroin concealed in 132 soap cases.
Drugs believed to originate from Myanmar.
Collaboration with Mizoram Police led to multiple drug seizures.

Imphal/Aizawl, March 4 (NationPress) In a significant setback for the drug trafficking network, troops from the Assam Rifles detained a drug dealer and confiscated heroin estimated at Rs 15.4 crore in Manipur, officials reported on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the defense stated that following intelligence reports, Assam Rifles personnel intercepted a white Mahindra Bolero vehicle at Thingkangphai Village in Churachandpur district late Monday night and arrested Thangsuanman (44), a local from M Tanglian Village.

The paramilitary forces recovered the heroin, hidden in 132 soap cases, valued at Rs 15.4 crore. The apprehended suspect, along with the vehicle and the drugs, was handed over to the Churachandpur Police for further inquiry and legal proceedings under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985.

Churachandpur district has a border with Mizoram and an unfenced border of 510 km with Myanmar, as well as 318 km with Bangladesh.

Officials believe the heroin originated from Myanmar, a major source of illicit drugs regularly smuggled into the northeastern states of India and Bangladesh.

Recently, the Assam Rifles, in collaboration with Mizoram Police, conducted two separate operations that resulted in the seizure of drugs worth Rs 66.31 crore from the Champhai district, known for drug trafficking due to its unfenced border with Myanmar.

Myanmar’s Chin state facilitates rampant drug trafficking across six districts of Mizoram -- Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip.

With a 1,643 km unfenced border with four northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km), and Mizoram (510 km) -- Myanmar serves as a crucial transit hub for drugs, including heroin and methamphetamine tablets, entering India.

These drugs are subsequently trafficked into Bangladesh, which has a 1,880 km border with Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km), and Assam (263 km).

While a considerable portion of the India-Bangladesh border is fenced, the India-Myanmar border remains completely open, enabling illegal trafficking.