Aizawl: Law enforcement agencies in Mizoram have seized methamphetamine tablets worth over Rs 40 crore in two separate operations carried out over the past 24 hours, arresting five alleged drug peddlers, officials said on Wednesday.
A senior official said the seizures were made during coordinated operations involving the police and other enforcement agencies, resulting in the recovery of a large quantity of the banned narcotic.
In the first operation, the Excise and Narcotics Department recovered 11.118 kg of methamphetamine tablets from the Khatla locality near the Tennis Court in Aizawl.
Two persons were arrested in connection with the seizure.
The drugs, estimated to be around 1.20 lakh tablets, were allegedly recovered from the possession of Yahya Hussain (23), a resident of Sribhumi district in southern Assam, and Lalchhuanliana (45), a resident of Champhai district in Mizoram.
Officials said a car suspected to have been used for transporting the drugs, along with two mobile phones, was also seized.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the consignment was smuggled from Myanmar and was being transported towards Assam when it was intercepted.
In the second operation, police at the Dapchhuah check post under West Phaileng police station seized around 1.89 kg of suspected methamphetamine and arrested three persons.
The accused, identified as Sarimul Haque (38), Shamsul Hoque (38) and Nazam Uddin (21), are all residents of Sribhumi district in Assam.
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Police said the vehicle they were travelling in, which was coming from the Aizawl side, was stopped on suspicion, and a subsequent search led to the recovery of the drugs concealed inside a backpack placed on the rear seat.
All five accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and were produced before the Special Court under the NDPS Act in Aizawl district.
Methamphetamine tablets, commonly known as Yaba or party tablets, contain a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine and are banned in India.
Officials noted that Mizoram shares long unfenced borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, making it vulnerable to cross-border smuggling. Myanmar’s Chin state is considered a major source of illegal drugs and other contraband trafficked through several districts of Mizoram.
