Drugs, foreign cigarettes valued at Rs 29.43cr seized in Mizoram; 6 held

Security forces in separate operations since Saturday night have seized heroin and foreign-origin cigarettes valued at around Rs 29.43 crore smuggled in from Myanmar, an official said on Sunday, adding six persons have been arrested in this connection.

Defence sources said that Aizawl Battalion of Assam Rifles alongwith the Excise and Narcotics, Anti-Narcotics Squad, Aizawl apprehended two drug peddlers and recovered 436 soap cases containing 5.114 kg heroin valued at Rs 25.57 crore from their possession at Saichal village in Mizoram's Saitual district on Saturday night.

In another incident, the Mizoram Police arrested three persons including a woman at Chalbawiha Junction Police Check Gate in Champhai district, and recovered and seized a total of 1.373 kg heroin valued at Rs 1.75 crore from their custody.

The drug peddlers were travelling in a Maxi Cab (sumo) vehicle plying between Zokhawthar and Aizawl.

In the third incident, the Assam Rifles and the Mizoram police, while conducting random checking of vehicles at the outskirts of Zote village on Zote-Bulfek (Myanmar) Road in Champhai district and arrested a man and recovered 73 grams (6 soap boxes) of heroin valued at Rs 80 lakh from his illegal possession.

In the fourth incident, the Assam Rifles during their routine operations on Sunday recovered 62 cases of foreign-origin cigarettes worth Rs 80.6 lakh at Tlangsam and 73 grams of heroine at Zote in Champhai worth Rs 51.1 Lakh on Sunday.

An Assam Rifles statement said that smuggling of drugs from Myanmar is a major cause of concern for the state as well as India.

Mizoram's 510 km unfenced international border with Myanmar, especially in the bordering Champhai district, is a major hotspot of smuggling of drugs and other contrabands.

Besides various illicit drugs, foreign cigarettes, gold, arms and ammunition, exotic animals, and areca nuts are often smuggled from Myanmar into the northeastern states, especially Mizoram and Manipur.

Reacting on the seizure of huge drugs in Mizoram, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh urged all Chief Ministers of the region to unitedly fight against this menace of drugs.

He tweeted: "I am deeply concerned by the alarming increase in illicit drug seizures within Mizoram in recent times. Having personally experienced the challenges associated with drug trafficking in my own state, I wholeheartedly support the efforts of the Mizoram government in combating these heinous activities, particularly concentrated along our porous international borders.

"In this critical juncture, as the North Eastern states bear the brunt of protecting the entire nation from the menace of drugs, I fervently urge all Chief Ministers of the region to unite and establish a robust mechanism that will enable us to join forces in this noble 'War on Drugs'. By working together collectively, we can effectively address this grave issue and safeguard our communities from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking."