Security forces seized methamphetamine tablets worth over ₹425 crore across three separate operations in Assam and Tripura on Tuesday and Wednesday (16 September 2026), with three alleged drug peddlers arrested, officials confirmed. The coordinated crackdown — involving the Assam Rifles, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), and Tripura Police — marks one of the largest multi-operation narcotics hauls recorded in the Northeast in recent months.

The Hailakandi Seizure: Largest of the Three

The single biggest bust took place in the Ramnathpur area of Hailakandi district in southern Assam, where a joint team of the Assam Rifles and DRI recovered 546 packets of methamphetamine tablets weighing 109.200 kg, valued at approximately ₹327 crore. Acting on specific intelligence, the operation was conducted between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Alongside the contraband, the team also seized two trucks, a mobile phone, an Aadhaar card, and a driving licence. One alleged drug peddler was arrested during the operation. All seized items, vehicles, and the arrested individual were handed over to the DRI, Silchar, for detailed investigation and further legal proceedings, according to a defence spokesman.

Two Operations in Tripura Net Over 12 Lakh Tablets

In Tripura, two simultaneous operations — driven by intelligence from the Assam Rifles Field Intelligence Unit (ARFIU) — resulted in the recovery of 12,26,000 methamphetamine tablets valued at approximately ₹98.08 crore across Khowai and North Tripura districts on Tuesday night.

In the first operation, at Khowai Choawmani area in Khowai district, the Assam Rifles and DRI recovered 7,26,000 tablets worth approximately ₹58.08 crore. One person, a resident of Itakhola in Assam's Sonitpur district, was apprehended along with a suspected truck used for transporting the drugs.

In the second operation, at Panisagar in North Tripura district, the Assam Rifles and Tripura Police jointly recovered 5,00,000 tablets worth approximately ₹40 crore. Another alleged peddler, a resident of Nagrmari in Assam's Morigaon district, was arrested and a truck seized. Both apprehended individuals, along with the contraband and vehicles, have been handed over to the concerned authorities.

Myanmar-Origin Drugs Routed Through Northeast Corridors

Officials said the seized drugs were suspected to have been smuggled from Myanmar, entering Assam and Tripura via Mizoram, before being routed for onward smuggling to Bangladesh or other destinations. Methamphetamine tablets — commonly known as Yaba or 'party' tablets — contain methamphetamine and caffeine and are highly addictive. They are widely abused across Bangladesh and neighbouring countries, in addition to India.

Notably, Mizoram and Manipur have emerged as the Northeast's primary drug-trafficking corridors, owing to their long and largely unfenced international borders with Myanmar. Six districts of Mizoram and five districts of Manipur share approximately 910 km of unfenced border with Myanmar, placing them in close proximity to the Golden Triangle — one of the world's largest illicit narcotics-producing regions.

Pattern of Escalating Crackdowns in the Region

This operation is the latest in a sustained effort by security and enforcement agencies to disrupt inter-state narcotics trafficking networks operating through India's Northeast. Officials underscored that the coordinated intelligence-sharing model between the Assam Rifles, DRI, and state police has been central to identifying and dismantling these supply chains.

With the Golden Triangle continuing to flood the region with synthetic drugs, and Bangladesh remaining a key end-destination, analysts and officials alike warn that interdiction alone cannot substitute for a sustained disruption of upstream trafficking networks. Further investigation into the arrested peddlers is underway.