Assam Rifles seize meth, foreign cigarettes worth Rs 7.16 crore in Mizoram

The Assam Rifles seized methamphetamine tablets and foreign-made cigarettes together worth more than Rs 7.16 crore in two separate operations in Mizoram and arrested three people, a defence spokesman said on Wednesday.

Meth tablets at the Myanmar border

The first operation was launched on Tuesday night at the Crossing Point-III area of Zokhawthar in Champhai district, on the India-Myanmar border, after the force received intelligence about a drug consignment being moved.

Assam Rifles personnel stopped a suspect and, on searching him, recovered 5.789 kg of methamphetamine tablets. The drugs are valued at about Rs 4.69 crore.

The arrested person and the seized tablets were handed over to the Zokhawthar police station for further investigation and legal action.

Smuggled cigarettes at Seling

In a second operation, the Assam Rifles worked with the Aizawl District Executive Force (DEF) and intercepted a large consignment of foreign-origin cigarettes at Seling, on the road east of Aizawl.

Brands including V, Mond and ESSE Light were found in the haul, which has an estimated market value of Rs 2.47 crore. Two people were arrested, and two vehicles, a Tata Sumo and a Mahindra pickup, allegedly used to carry the cigarettes, were seized.

The two accused, the cigarettes and the vehicles were handed over to the Bawngkawn police station.

In its statement, the Assam Rifles said the operations showed the value of reliable intelligence, coordination between agencies and constant vigilance, and that it would keep working with the Aizawl DEF and other agencies to stop smuggling in the state.

A key smuggling route

Mizoram and Manipur are among the main entry points for drugs coming into India from Myanmar. Six districts of Mizoram and five of Manipur together share a 910-km international border with Myanmar, much of it hilly, forested and lightly fenced.

The border is close to the Golden Triangle, where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, one of the world's biggest sources of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine. Champhai, where Zokhawthar sits across the Tiau river from Rihkhawdar in Myanmar's Chin State, is one of the busiest crossing points.

The latest haul is separate from the seizure of drugs and smuggled cigarettes worth Rs 6.84 crore reported by Mizoram Police earlier on Wednesday, in which six people were arrested.