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Aizawl/Agartala, Nov 23 (IANS) Various law enforcement agencies including Assam Rifles and BSF have intensified their crackdown on drug smuggling, seizing drugs worth nearly Rs 100 crore in the last week and arresting 12 smugglers, including four Myanmar nationals, officials said on Sunday.
Assam Rifles, Border Security Force (BSF), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Excise and Narcotics Department of Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram Police in joint or individual operations have seized drugs including highly addictive methamphetamine pills, heroin, cocaine, dried ganja (marijuana), cigarettes of foreign origin from Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur and Assam, an official said.
Illegal drug trade is going on due to the nexus between drug smugglers from Mizoram, Tripura, Assam and Myanmar, the main center of which is Chin State of Myanmar.
On November 17, in a breakthrough against drug trafficking, dismantling an international drug syndicate linked to Pakistan, Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with the Customs Department, seized 800 grams of cocaine worth approximately Rs 8 crore and arrested two drug smugglers in Tripura.
Acting on specific intelligence about a drug-trafficking syndicate smuggling high-purity cocaine into India through the Punjab border from Pakistan, the Agartala Customs department has busted a major narcotics network operating across multiple states, a Customs department official had said.
He said the syndicate transported the contraband to Tripura and other north-eastern states through surface routes for smuggling to Bangladesh and South East Asian countries through Mizoram.
Following actionable inputs in Tripura Sector, a joint operation was launched on 17 November, during which two Indian nationals were caught with 800 grams of high purity cocaine in Agartala.
The arrested drug smugglers are residents of Bishalgarh in the border Sipahijala district. In another huge drug haul, Mizoram Police seized a huge quantity of methamphetamine tablets and heroin with a total street value of Rs 41.64 crore in separate operations on November 19 and 20.
Two drug smugglers from Assam and another from Manipur have been arrested for possessing drugs smuggled from Myanmar, a police statement said.
Among drugs, methamphetamine tablets, also known as yaba or party tablets, contain a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine, and are the most popular drugs in India, Bangladesh and neighboring countries.
Methamphetamine tablets, banned in India, are also commonly referred to as ‘mad drugs’. Mizoram shares a 510 km and 318 km long unfenced border with Myanmar and Bangladesh respectively.
Myanmar’s Chin State is an exotic wildlife haven.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Director General Anurag Garg, while addressing the regional conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) heads of northeastern states and West Bengal in Kohima earlier this month, had said that a major inflow of heroin and other drugs into the northeastern states comes from Myanmar.
Some rebel organizations and organized criminal groups in the region are involved in drug production, illicit trade, and other illegal activities. The NCB chief highlighted the importance of coordinated efforts among the northeastern states to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and intelligence sharing in the fight against narcotics.
The NCB Director General had said that drug trafficking gives rise to other organized criminal activities and has serious public health and security consequences, leading to increased crime, violence and pressure on health systems. He said the 2019 survey conducted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) found drug abuse rates to be higher in the northeastern states compared to other states in the country.
Meanwhile, the Mizoram government on September 1 launched a four-month special drive and anti-drug campaign to curb illegal drug trade and their menace.
Mizoram Inspector General of Police (IGP) H. Ramthlengliana said that the special operation and intensive operation will continue till December 31.
–IANS
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