Tripura Police seize drugs valued at Rs 5 crore, 3 held

Tripura Police on Sunday seized 55,000 methamphetamine tablets valued at Rs 5 crore from Agartala-bound vehicle near Bagbasa Naka Point in north Tripura and arrested three youths, police officials said.

North Tripura district Superintendent of Police Bhanupada Chakraborty said that acting on a tip-off, the police intercepted a vehicle at Bagbasa along Tripura-Assam inter-state border and recovered the highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, also locally called Yaba tablet or party tablet.

“The drugs smuggled from Myanmar and entered Tripura through Mizoram and Assam states. We are now interrogating the detainees to obtain further details. The arrested drug peddlers belong to Karimganj in southern Assam,” Chakraborty told IANS.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, who also holds the home portfolio, appreciating the role of the police in seizing the drugs, said on the X: “Tripura Police's role towards our vision of building Nasha Mukt Bharat is commendable.”

Methamphetamine tablets smuggled in from Myanmar are one of the most trafficked drugs in recent years.

These drugs have a huge demand in northeastern states, and other parts of India and neighbouring Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the Assam Rifles organised an awareness programme as part of ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’ (drugs-free India campaign) at Radhanagar in Tripura’s Unakoti District, Tripura on Sunday.

During the campaign, an interactive session with the local youths and troops was conducted to educate them about the adverse effects of narcotics and psychotropic substances.

Assam Rifles is determined to address the root causes of substance abuse, providing education, counselling and organising lectures and demonstrations for the locals and make Tripura a drug-free state, an Assam Rifles statement said.