Drugs seized in poll-bound Mizoram, Myanmar national held

The Assam Rifles has arrested a Myanmar national and seized a huge cache of drugs, valued at Rs 45 crore from his possession in poll-bound Mizoram, officials said on Sunday.

Assam Rifles personnel, acting on secret information, arrested the Myanmar national and recovered 15 kgs of methamphetamine tablets, valued at Rs 45 crore, from him in Zokawthar area in the border Champhai district on Saturday night.

Assam Rifles officials said that the highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, also called Yaba tablet or party tablet, and the Myanmarese have been handed over to Champhai police station for further legal proceedings under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

The tablets contain a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine and are misused as high-dosage drugs in Bangladesh and neighbouring countries, besides India.

The drugs were seized hours after the Assam Rifles and the state Excise and Narcotics Department, in a joint operation seized methamphetamine tablets, valued at Rs 12.12 crore, in the same district and arrested two drug peddlers, who are residents of southern Assam.

The Election Commission, during its recent visit to Mizoram and subsequently, issued several directives to the Central and state law enforcing agencies to further step up their efforts to prevent smuggling from the neighbouring countries or to seize the illegally imported drugs, contrabands and nab the smugglers.

Elections to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly would be held on November 7. Tripura's border with Bangladesh and Mizoram and Manipur’s unfenced frontier with Myanmar have become an easy corridor for drugs smuggling in northeast India. Besides various illicit drugs, foreign cigarettes, gold, arms and ammunition, exotic animals, and areca nuts are often smuggled from Myanmar into the northeastern states.