Agartala, June 29 (IANS) In one of the biggest drug hauls by the Tripura Police in recent times, highly addictive methamphetamine tablets valued at over Rs 7.5 crore were seized on Monday, and a suspected drug peddler was arrested, officials said.

A senior police official said that during a routine vehicle-checking operation, Tripura Police personnel intercepted a suspicious vehicle at Damchara in North Tripura district, which borders mountainous Mizoram.

Following a thorough search of the vehicle in the presence of an Executive Magistrate and forensic science personnel, the police recovered 15 packets containing 1.50 lakh methamphetamine tablets.

The seized contraband is estimated to be valued around Rs 7.5 crore in the illegal market.

The driver of the vehicle, who was allegedly involved in drug trafficking, was arrested. He was identified as Anup Nunia, a resident of Silcoorie in southern Assam’s Cachar district.

Police claimed that the operation was one of the largest drug seizures made by the Tripura Police in recent times.

Further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend all individuals connected to the drug trafficking network.

The North Tripura District Police remains firmly committed to combating drug trafficking and other forms of organised crime through strict enforcement of the law and coordinated action, with the objective of ensuring a safer and drug-free society, the official said.

Damchara in North Tripura district shares a long inter-state border with the mountainous state of Mizoram, which has emerged as a major drug trafficking corridor in Northeast India because of its extensive unfenced borders with Myanmar (510 km) and Bangladesh (318 km).

Police officials suspect that the methamphetamine tablets, popularly known as Yaba, party tablets or the “crazy drug”, were smuggled from Myanmar through Mizoram before entering Tripura for onward trafficking to Bangladesh or other destinations. Tripura shares an 856-km-long international border with Bangladesh and is surrounded on three sides by the neighbouring country, making the northeastern state particularly vulnerable and sensitive to cross-border migration and illegal trade activities. Methamphetamine tablets, which contain a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine, are prohibited in India.

–IANS

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