Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, 25 October announced the success of Operation Trident, a coordinated anti-narcotics sweep across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur that exposed ₹100 crore worth of hawala transactions, froze 1,424 bank accounts, and led to the arrest of 18 individuals. The operation, carried out simultaneously across 38 locations on 23 October, dismantled what officials described as an international narco-cartel operating through the 'Death Triangle Corridor' spanning India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Scale of the Operation

Central anti-narcotics agencies, working in conjunction with the police forces of the three northeastern states, executed a sweeping crackdown that attached properties worth ₹17.82 crore, seized 500 detonators and ₹12 lakh in cash, in addition to freezing the 1,424 bank accounts linked to hawala flows. The simultaneous nature of the raids across 38 locations was intended to prevent suspects from alerting each other or dispersing assets, according to the Home Minister's statement.

The 'Death Triangle Corridor' Dismantled

Shah described the cartel as one that trafficked narcotics across the porous tri-border zone connecting India, Myanmar and Bangladesh — a route long identified by security agencies as a primary conduit for drugs entering the Northeast. The region has historically been a flashpoint for drug trafficking, with its complex terrain and cross-border networks making enforcement difficult. Operation Trident is, notably, the latest in a series of escalating crackdowns the Home Ministry has signalled for the Northeast corridor.

What the Home Minister Said

Announcing the operation's success in a post on X, Shah said: 'Modi Govt deals another lethal blow against drugs with Operation Trident.' He elaborated that agencies launched 'a barrage of simultaneous crackdowns across 38 locations in Assam, Mizoram and Manipur on 23 October, smashing an international narco-cartel.' Shah also extended congratulations to the anti-narcotics team, saying: 'Heartiest congratulations to the anti-narcotics team comprising central agencies and police forces of the three states.'

Broader Anti-Drug Mission by 2029

Operation Trident sits within a larger declared mission. On 21 October, speaking at Police Commemoration Day in New Delhi, Shah had announced that the Union Home Ministry would wage a united anti-drug campaign through the remainder of 2026 and continuing through 2027, 2028 and 2029, with the stated goal of making India drug-free by 31 December 2029. 'The drug problem hollows out our future generations, places an undue burden on our economy and provides financial support to organisations engaged in anti-national activities,' he said. The Home Minister cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive as the political mandate underpinning the roadmap, calling on police forces nationwide to align with the stated target.

What Comes Next

With the 2029 deadline now formally on record, enforcement agencies across the Northeast are expected to sustain the operational tempo established by Operation Trident. The freezing of 1,424 accounts will likely trigger parallel financial investigations, with enforcement agencies tracking hawala networks that fed the cartel's cross-border logistics. Observers note that dismantling the financial infrastructure — rather than just seizing contraband — signals a shift toward long-term disruption of drug networks rather than headline-driven interdiction alone.