Agartala, April 12 (NationPress) In a significant operation, the Assam Rifles, in collaboration with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), successfully seized 60,000 highly addictive methamphetamine tablets valued at over Rs 6 crore, according to defence sources.

A spokesperson from the Defence stated that the Assam Rifles intercepted a WagonR vehicle at Teliamura in the Khowai district of Western Tripura and discovered the methamphetamine tablets, also referred to as Yaba or party tablets, packed in six bundles.

During this operation, two drug traffickers, identified as Dilbar Hussain and Md. Juber Ahmad, were apprehended.

Hussain hails from Hailakandi, while Md. Juber Ahmad is from Karimganj in southern Assam.

The detained suspects, along with the seized narcotics, were transferred to the DRI for further investigation and legal action.

This operation highlights the ongoing commitment of the Assam Rifles to combat drug trafficking, as stated by the spokesperson.

A police official noted that the drugs were smuggled from Myanmar and transported through Mizoram and southern Assam into Tripura, with plans to further smuggle them into neighboring Bangladesh.

Myanmar's Chin State serves as a major center for drug smuggling, affecting six districts in Mizoram: Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip.

Champhai is particularly notorious for trafficking various drugs, foreign cigarettes, areca nuts, firearms, and exotic animals and their parts.

Emphasizing his government's 'war on drugs' campaign, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha recently stated that the state police have recorded 52 cases and secured 70 convictions over the past three years under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

He mentioned that various drugs, including methamphetamine tablets, Phensedyl cough syrup, and heroin, are entering Tripura from Myanmar via Mizoram and Assam, while ganja is being exported out of the state.

Although ganja (marijuana) is illegally cultivated within the state and not consumed locally, it is smuggled to other states, including Bihar, from Tripura, the Chief Minister stated.

CM Saha, who oversees both the Health and Family Welfare and Home Departments, directed the police and law enforcement agencies to maintain a stringent zero-tolerance approach against drug-related issues and trafficking.

Mizoram shares a 510 km and 318 km unfenced border with Myanmar and Bangladesh, respectively, while Tripura has an 856 km border with Bangladesh.