Cachar (Assam), Feb 12 (IANS) Amid unabated drug smuggling from Myanmar, the Assam Rifles and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), in a joint operation, seized heroin valued at Rs 3.2 crore and arrested two drug peddlers in Assam’s Cachar district, officials said on Thursday.

A defence spokesman said that acting on specific intelligence about narcotics trafficking in Cachar district, the Assam Rifles troopers, in coordination with the DRI, launched a joint operation on Wednesday night.

Cachar, along with Sribhumi (formerly Karimganj) and Hailakandi districts, shares over 164 km of inter-state border with Mizoram, which has emerged as a major drug-smuggling corridor due to its proximity to Myanmar.

During the operation, the joint team apprehended two individuals who were transporting heroin worth Rs 3.2 crore along National Highway-306, the surface lifeline of mountainous Mizoram.

The vehicle used for transporting the contraband and a mobile phone found in the possession of the drug peddlers were also seized.

Further investigation is underway.

The Assam Rifles and the DRI have been at the forefront of anti-drug operations in the region, conducting regular and coordinated actions to disrupt and dismantle narcotics networks. This seizure marks a significant milestone in ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking, an official statement said.

Police suspect that the drugs were smuggled from Myanmar and routed through Mizoram before being ferried into Assam for supply to other parts of the country.

On February 10, Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with the state Police and the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB), seized 3.518 kg of morphine valued at Rs 3.5 crore and arrested two drug peddlers in Mizoram’s Ngopa area under Saitual district.

During that operation, security personnel intercepted a vehicle and, after thorough checking, recovered 3.518 kg of morphine with an estimated market value of Rs 3.5 crore. The contraband was being transported by two persons identified as Kasim and Mukeem Ali.

Mizoram shares a 510-km-long unfenced international border with Myanmar and a 318-km-long porous mountainous border with Bangladesh, making the state vulnerable to cross-border smuggling. Myanmar’s Chin state is considered a major hub for the smuggling of narcotics, exotic wildlife, foreign-made cigarettes, Myanmarese areca nuts (betel nuts) and other contraband through six Mizoram districts — Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip.

–IANS

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