How is Tripura Police Strengthening Anti-Drug Operations?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Intensified anti-drug operations by Tripura Police.
- Significant seizures including 896 kg of ganja and 90,617 bottles of cough syrup.
- Commitment to a drug-free future for the state's youth.
- Collaboration among various security agencies.
- Implementation of a zero tolerance policy towards drugs.
Agartala, Oct 18 (NationPress) The Tripura Police, in collaboration with intelligence agencies, have ramped up their anti-narcotics efforts over the last 10 days, resulting in substantial seizures of illegal substances across the state, announced Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday.
In a series of updates shared via social media, Chief Minister Saha revealed that during this intensified period, law enforcement recovered 896 kg of ganja (cannabis), 90,617 bottles of cough syrup, 180 methamphetamine tablets known for their high addiction potential, and 27.78 grams of heroin from various locations.
Fifteen cases have been filed under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985, leading to the arrest of 16 individuals linked to these drug seizures.
Saha, who also oversees the home ministry, reiterated the commitment of the Tripura Police to eliminate the drug issue and to hold accountable all major players involved in the illegal narcotics trade.
The state government has adopted a strict ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards drugs, actively pursuing a drug-free environment for the youth of Tripura, he stated.
In a related development, various security forces, including the Assam Rifles, have recovered drugs valued at over Rs 134.50 crore in Tripura in under three weeks. On Friday (October 17), during a joint operation, security forces seized drugs worth Rs 4.5 crore from a goods train parked at the Jirania railway station in West Tripura, which had arrived from Delhi.
A senior official disclosed that the Tripura Police, Assam Rifles, Government Railway Police (GRP), Special Task Force (STF), and Customs collaborated in a meticulous search of the goods train, resulting in the recovery of 90,000 bottles of banned Eskuf Cough Syrup, containing substances often misused as narcotics in India and neighboring Bangladesh.
Police operations are ongoing to locate the primary suspects involved in transporting the banned cough syrup from Delhi by train.
On October 6, in a significant drug bust, the Assam Rifles, working closely with Customs officials, seized contraband worth Rs 70 crore in Tripura’s Khowai district and apprehended four drug traffickers.
Acting on confidential information, the joint team intercepted two trucks disguised as cement carriers for narcotics trafficking and confiscated 69.61 kg of methamphetamine tablets valued at approximately Rs 70 crore.
A Defence spokesperson mentioned that the October 6 operation followed a successful mission on September 29 in the Mohanpur area of West Tripura, where 60.77 kg of banned methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 60 crore were recovered.
A senior police official indicated that the drugs seized on both September 29 and October 6 likely originated from Myanmar, traveling through Mizoram and southern Assam to reach Tripura, with the intent to smuggle into neighboring Bangladesh.
Tripura, sharing an 856-km border with Bangladesh, is flanked on three sides by the neighboring country, rendering the northeastern state susceptible to cross-border migration, crime, illicit trade, and smuggling activities. Most of the border area is fenced to thwart smuggling, trans-border crimes, and illegal infiltration.