New Delhi/Aizawl, May 17 (IANS) In a major crackdown on transnational drug trafficking networks operating along the India-Myanmar border, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested a key Myanmar-based drug trafficker from Delhi, the drug law enforcement central agency said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Thancintuang alias Chintuang alias Tluanga, was allegedly operating as a major supplier of methamphetamine tablets and heroin smuggled from Myanmar into India through the Northeast region.

According to the NCB, the arrest followed extensive surveillance, intelligence gathering, interstate coordination, and sustained follow-up operations carried out by the central anti-narcotics agency.

The agency in a statement said Chintuang had emerged as one of the most significant traffickers operating along the Myanmar-Mizoram-Manipur-Assam-Tripura corridor and was a major international supplier of methamphetamine and heroin.

Investigations revealed that he allegedly organised cross-border trafficking networks routing narcotic consignments through Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Tripura to different parts of India and Bangladesh.

The NCB said that Chintuang was wanted in multiple cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act by the NCB and other Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (DLEAs), including two cases registered by the NCB itself.

He was also accused in two NDPS cases registered by Champhai Police in Mizoram in 2025 relating to trafficking of methamphetamine and heroin.

In addition, he was allegedly linked to six NDPS cases registered by the Mizoram Excise and Narcotics Department in 2023 in connection with heroin trafficking. According to investigators, Chintuang was involved in illicit drug trafficking networks valued at around Rs 115 crore. He is linked to seven NDPS cases associated with the Myanmar-Mizoram-Tripura-Assam corridor and is also suspected to be involved in five additional cases connected to the Myanmar-Manipur-Assam route.

The NCB said Chintuang was the prime accused in a 2024 Agartala Zone case involving the seizure of 14 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 2.8 kg of heroin.

His arrest marked the seventh apprehension in that case. He was also the prime accused in another 2025 Agartala Zone case involving the seizure of 49.1 kg methamphetamine tablets, in which nine traffickers had already been arrested earlier.

During the investigation, the NCB arrested several alleged members and associates of the syndicate. Among them was Vungkhanthawna, described as a close associate and key facilitator who coordinated the movement and delivery of narcotic consignments linked to the Myanmar-based network.

He was also found involved in another NDPS case registered by Mizoram Police. Proceedings under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act were initiated against him.

Another associate, Lalrampari, allegedly acted as a major hawala operator handling proceeds generated through the syndicate’s drug trafficking activities.

She was arrested by the NCB on August 8, 2024. The investigation revealed hawala transactions amounting to nearly Rs 100 crore linked to the network, following which the matter was referred to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Authorities also froze properties suspected to have been acquired through proceeds of drug trafficking.

Further investigation led to the arrest of Abu Saleh alias Saifuddin from Assam’s Cachar district on November 20, 2025. He was identified as a major Indian operative and logistics coordinator associated with Chintuang’s network and was allegedly involved in transporting and distributing narcotics across the Assam corridor.

Another accused, identified as Jabrul from Assam’s Karimganj district, was arrested on December 3, 2025, along with an additional consignment of narcotic drugs.

The NCB said he played a key role in interstate trafficking operations through the Tripura-Assam route. Financial investigations also led to the identification and temporary freezing of multiple bank accounts linked to the accused persons.

The NCB said it has initiated comprehensive financial investigations to identify and attach assets generated through illicit trafficking under the NDPS Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

According to the agency, investigations revealed the existence of a highly organised interstate and international drug trafficking network extending from Myanmar to Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, Tripura and Bangladesh.

The syndicate allegedly used multiple trafficking routes, local facilitators, transport coordinators, hawala channels and financial handlers to smuggle and distribute methamphetamine and heroin across international and interstate borders. The NCB said the arrest of Chintuang reflects its intensified strategy of targeting major drug kingpins operating in the Northeast, including those functioning from outside India.

The agency further stated that Chintuang’s arrest marks the second major Myanmar-based drug supplier apprehended by the NCB in 2026. According to official data, the NCB registered 48 NDPS cases in the Northeast region during 2025, leading to the arrest of 116 drug traffickers and seizure of narcotics valued at around Rs 665 crore in the illicit market.

So far in 2026, the agency has registered 31 NDPS cases and arrested 54 traffickers during enforcement operations across the region.

–IANS

sc/pgh