Aizawl, June 21 (IANS) The Assam Rifles and other law enforcing agencies have seized drugs valued at Rs 11.53 crore and arrested five drug peddlers including two women in Mizoram, an official said on Saturday.

A Defence spokesperson said that acting on specific intelligence regarding movement of narcotics from Vaseikai to Lunglei and an Area Domination Party (ADP) was launched at Pukpui areas in the Lunglei district.

The ADP intercepted a suspected vehicle and after thorough search of the individuals, who were travelling in the vehicle, the team recovered 36,400 Methamphetamine tablets weighing 3.47 kg, with an estimated value of Rs 10.43 crore.

The apprehended individuals have been identified as Sapna Chakma and Punhosur Chakma.

The recovered items and the arrested drug peddlers have been handed over to Excise and Narcotics Department of Lunglei for further investigation and legal proceedings.

In two other separate operations the Assam Rifles troops also seized foreign origin cigarettes valued at Rs 81 lakh and arrested one person and two women with 39.2 gram heroin valued at Rs 29.4 lakh from Champhai district, bordering Myanmar.

Seizure of various drugs including highly addictive methamphetamine tablets also known as Yaba or party tablets, become a regular phenomenon in Mizoram.

Various drugs, including methamphetamine tablets and heroin, are often smuggled from Myanmar and illegally ferried to various parts of India and Bangladesh through the northeastern states.

Myanmar, which shares a 1,643 km unfenced border with four northeastern states — Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram — serves as a key transit point for drugs and other contrabands entering India.

However, heightened vigilance maintained by the security personnel and law enforcement agencies often lead to seizure of drugs and arrest of smugglers, and other involved in smuggling/transporting the drugs.

Myanmar’s Chin state is a hub for smuggling of varied drugs, exotic wildlife animals and many other contraband.

–IANS

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