GUWAHATI —The Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police
on Tuesday seized over 1.128 kg of heroin worth INR nine crore and arrested two
drug peddlers from Manipur, officials said.
An Assam Police spokesman said the STF sleuths intercepted
an SUV at Amingaon in Kamrup district and recovered the heroin from the secret
chambers of the vehicle.
The heroin was hidden in 94 soap boxes.
The drugs were smuggled from Myanmar and through Mizoram
were ferried to Assam, said the officials. The STF personnel arrested driver
Onkhogin Touthing and co-driver Thangkhaelien, both residents of Churachandpur
district in Manipur.
The spokesman said the vehicle came from Mizoram and the
driver and co-driver planned to supply the drugs to Hajo and Goreswar-based drug
peddlers Nurul Hussain (of Dampur, Hajo) and Bitul Ali (of Goreswar).
The STF personnel also arrested Hussain and Ali.
A case has been registered under the Narcotics Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985.
Last week the Assam Police seized drugs worth over INR 11
crore in three separate operations from the state’s Cachar and Karbi Anglong
districts.
Police seized 1.17 kg of heroin worth INR 5.1 crore from the
Dighar Fulertol area in the Cachar district while 73.97 kg of ganja worth INR
38 lakh was seized from Dhanehari.
The police also intercepted a bus coming from a neighbouring
state at Dillai Tiniali and seized another 1.22 kg of heroin worth INR 6 crore
in Karbi Anglong district.
Officials said that in most cases drugs smuggled from Myanmar
were ferried to Assam, Tripura, other states of India and abroad through
Mizoram, which shares a 510 km unfenced border with Myanmar.
Out of 11 districts in Mizoram, six districts -- Champhai,
Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual and Serchhip -- share a border with
Myanmar's Chin state. Most of the drugs, including highly addictive
methamphetamine tablets (also known as Yaba tablets), and heroin are illegally
traded through the Champhai district.
