Assam Rifles, Customs, DRI seize drugs valued at INR 24 crore in Tripura, one held
Assam Rifles, along with other law enforcing agencies, have seized highly addictive methamphetamine tablets valued at over INR 24 crore in Tripura in two separate incidents in the last 24 hours and arrested one person, officials said on Thursday.
AGARTALA — In a
major haul of drugs, the Assam Rifles, along with other law enforcing agencies,
have seized highly addictive methamphetamine tablets valued at over INR 24
crore in Tripura in two separate incidents in the last 24 hours and arrested
one person, officials said on Thursday.
A defence spokesman said that based on specific
intelligence, a joint team of Assam Rifles and Customs officials recovered
unclaimed baggage aboard Agartala-bound Shatabdi Express at Ambassa in
Tripura’s Dhalai district on Wednesday night and found over 1,50,000
methamphetamine tablets, also known as Yaba tablets, valued at INR 15 crore, in
it.
The seized contraband has been handed over to Customs for
further legal proceedings.
In the second incident, the Assam Rifles in coordination
with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) intercepted a goods truck
loaded with cement bags coming from Shillong at Teliamura in Tripura’s Khowai
district.
Following a thorough inspection, 90,000 methamphetamine
tablets, worth INR 9 crore, were recovered from the truck.
One man, a resident of Belonia in South Tripura district,
was apprehended.
The recovered contraband and the apprehended individual were
handed over to the DRI for further legal action.
The spokesman said that the Assam Rifles has conducted 21
operations in Tripura since January leading to the recovery of contraband
valued at INR 95.56 crore.
An official statement said that these successful
interdictions are part of Assam Rifles' ongoing efforts to combat drug
trafficking and align with the state government's mission of a ‘Nasha Mukt’
(drugs-free) Tripura.
The security forces have been conducting large-scale
anti-drug operations in the state which is indicative of busting the
cross-border drug cartels and significantly cutting down the drug trade.
Assam Rifles, in collaboration with sister agencies, remains
steadfast in its commitment to dismantling narcotics networks and ensuring a
safer Tripura, the statement said.
After Mizoram and Manipur, Tripura and Assam have become
crucial corridors of drug smuggling. Various drugs after being smuggled from
Myanmar, come to Tripura via Mizoram and Assam, en route to neighbouring
Bangladesh.
Myanmar, which shares a 1,643 km unfenced border with four
northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram --
serves as a key transit point for drugs, particularly heroin and
methamphetamine tablets, entering India. From the northeastern states, these
drugs are further smuggled into Bangladesh, which shares a 1,880 km border with
Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Assam (263 km). While a significant portion of
the India-Bangladesh border is fenced, the India-Myanmar border remains
entirely open, facilitating illicit trafficking.
