Have Women Become Key Players in Drug Smuggling in Mizoram?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Two women arrested in Mizoram for drug smuggling.
- Seized heroin valued at Rs 1.20 crore.
- Joint operation conducted by Assam Rifles and Excise Department.
- Unaccounted cash of Rs 21,88,500 recovered.
- Myanmar identified as a key drug trafficking hub.
Aizawl, June 22 (NationPress) The involvement of women in the drug smuggling trade is on the rise in Mizoram, as the Assam Rifles and other law enforcement agencies apprehended two women and confiscated heroin valued at Rs 1.20 crore, officials reported on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the defense stated that following specific intelligence, a joint operation was executed by the Assam Rifles in collaboration with officials from the Excise and Narcotics Department on Saturday night in the Zotlang area of Champhai district, which has an unguarded border with Myanmar. The team stopped two suspicious women during a thorough search and seized 161.200 grams of heroin worth Rs 1.20 crore.
In another operation based on credible information regarding unaccounted cash movement in the Melbuk area of the same Champhai district, the Assam Rifles and Mizoram Police conducted a joint operation and intercepted a Bolero vehicle. The para-military troops along with the Mizoram Police found unaccounted cash totaling Rs 21,88,500 in the vehicle. The driver was subsequently arrested. The drugs, cash, and the three detained individuals were transferred to the Excise and Narcotics Department and the Mizoram Police, respectively.
Previously, on June 20, Assam Rifles personnel arrested two women in eastern Mizoram’s Champhai district with 39.2 grams of heroin valued at Rs 29.4 lakh.
Various types of drugs, including methamphetamine tablets and heroin, are frequently smuggled from Myanmar, reaching different parts of India and Bangladesh via the northeastern states. Myanmar, which shares a 1,643 km unfenced border with four northeastern states—Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram—serves as a crucial transit hub for drugs and other contraband entering India.
However, increased vigilance from security personnel and law enforcement agencies often results in drug seizures and the apprehension of smugglers and those involved in drug transportation. Myanmar's Chin state is notorious for being a hub for the smuggling of various drugs, exotic wildlife, and other illegal goods.