Cachar (Assam), March 8 (IANS) In a significant success against drug trafficking, the Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with the state Police, apprehended five drug peddlers and recovered heroin worth nearly Rs 3.5 crore from their possession in Assam’s Cachar district, officials said on Sunday.

A Defence Spokesman said that the operation was launched based on specific intelligence inputs regarding the trafficking of narcotics in the region.

Acting swiftly on the information, a joint team of the Assam Rifles and Assam Police intercepted the suspects at Burunga village near Kalain on Saturday night while they were transporting the drugs with plans to cross over into Meghalaya.

During the operation, five members of the drug trafficking network were apprehended.

Two vehicles used for transporting the contraband were seized, along with several mobile phones recovered from the accused.

The apprehended individuals, along with the seized vehicles and mobile phones, have been handed over to the Assam Police in Cachar district for further investigation and legal proceedings.

The Spokesman said that the timely operation successfully foiled a major attempt to smuggle narcotics across state borders, dealing a significant blow to drug trafficking networks operating in the region.

“The Assam Rifles has been at the forefront of anti-drug operations in the Northeast, conducting regular intelligence-based missions to disrupt and dismantle narcotics networks,” an official statement said.

It added that the latest seizure marks another milestone in the ongoing efforts to curb the menace of drug trafficking and ensure the safety and well-being of communities in the region.

Police suspect that the heroin was smuggled from Myanmar and transported to Cachar district with the intention of ferrying it to Bangladesh through Meghalaya.

Mizoram shares a 510-km-long unfenced international border with Myanmar and a 318-km-long porous mountainous border with Bangladesh, making the region particularly vulnerable to cross-border smuggling and illegal movements.

Myanmar’s Chin State is considered a major hub for the smuggling of narcotics, arms and ammunition, exotic wildlife, foreign-made cigarettes, Myanmar areca nuts (betel nuts) and other contraband through six districts of Mizoram — Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual and Serchhip.

–IANS

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