In a notable operation targeting an international drug cartel, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has successfully seized heroin valued at ₹12.5 crore in Assam. The drug was trafficked into India via river routes from Myanmar, with two arrests reported. The NCB’s Guwahati Zonal Unit led the operation following specific intelligence and extensive surveillance, collaborating with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Assam Police. They tracked an illegal shipment that transitioned through dense forests in Manipur and was transported via the Barak River using small motorboats to avoid standard security measures.
During the operation, NCB teams intercepted a native motorboat near Silchar, apprehending two suspects from Cachar district. A thorough search of the boat revealed 6.149 kg of high-grade heroin concealed within 530 soap cases, hidden beneath layers of bamboo. The illicit narcotics, assessed to be worth approximately ₹12.5 crore, are believed to have originated from Myanmar, traversed forest routes in Manipur, and were headed towards the Hmarkhawlien–Fulertal–Lakhimpur area in Assam.
The NCB indicated that traffickers are increasingly employing riverine transport systems to circumvent checkpoints, security camps, and urban surveillance. This operation underscores a troubling trend in drug trafficking strategies that utilize vulnerable river routes for the transnational movement of narcotics. Moreover, it has significantly disrupted a key narcotics network that spans Myanmar, Manipur, and Assam.
To combat cross-border drug smuggling more effectively, the NCB’s North Eastern Region is enhancing collaboration with Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, State police, and Central Armed Police Forces/Border Guarding Forces. Regular meetings of State-level Joint Coordination Committees for the regions of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura are being conducted to bolster the anti-narcotics framework and strategies in response to this emerging drug trafficking challenge.
