20,000 suspected Yaba tablets worth INR 1.6 crore seized near Kohima, two arrested

DIMAPUR — Kohima Police have seized around 20,000 suspected Yaba tablets, with an estimated street value of INR 1.6 crore, and arrested two men in connection with an alleged interstate drug trafficking operation.

The seizure was made during vehicle checking at Kidima Prayer Park Junction, where police intercepted a Hyundai Venue bearing an Assam registration number, according to a press release issued on Monday.

Police said they noticed that part of the vehicle’s floor had been recently welded and painted. A closer inspection allegedly led to the discovery of black polythene packets concealed inside structural cavities of the vehicle.

Ten medium-sized packets containing smaller packages were recovered, yielding approximately 20,000 tablets suspected to be Yaba, the release stated.

The two occupants, identified as Nazrul Islam, 36, and Deben Kumar Das, 40, both from Silchar in Assam, were arrested at the spot.

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During preliminary interrogation, the duo allegedly told investigators that they had picked up the consignment in Churachandpur, Manipur, and were travelling towards Silchar, police said.

The seized tablets have been valued at a minimum of INR 800 each, putting the estimated commercial value of the consignment at about INR 1.6 crore, according to the police.