Aizawl (Mizoram) [India], July 22 : Assam Rifles, in a targeted operation on Tuesday, seized heroin worth Rs 9.75 crore near the Indo-Myanmar border in Mizoram, said Assam Rifles in an official statement.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs regarding narcotics trafficking, the security forces launched the operation in the general area of Crossing Point-1, Zokhawthar, and recovered 1.227 kilograms of Heroin No. 4, with an estimated market value of Rs 9.75 crore, from a TATA Intra V10 pickup vehicle. The vehicle was seized on the spot.
The recovered contraband and the vehicle have been handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department, Champhai, for further legal proceedings. Further investigation is underway.
Earlier, Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with Manipur police and CRPF, recovered a large quantity of heroin and 50,000 methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 76 crore in Manipur's Jiribam district, officials said in a press release on Monday.
One individual was apprehended during the operation. In a press statement issued by the PRO of IGAR (East), it was said that, in a significant blow to drug trafficking, Assam Rifles carried out an operation with Manipur police and CRPF, resulting in the recovery of 616 soap cases of heroin and 50,000 methamphetamine tablets worth almost Rs 76 crore, which were being transported by boat on the Barak River in the Jiribam district of Manipur on July 20.
"Based on a specific intelligence, the joint team was carrying out boat patrolling on the Barak River, between Chaudharykhal and Savomphai on the fringes of Jiribam and Phezarwal districts, when a boat was spotted, and upon being challenged, the driver attempted to flee. During the ensuing pursuit, the boat was seized, resulting in the recovery of the contraband. One individual, a resident of Silchar, Assam, was also apprehended," said the press release.
Assam Rifles has been at the forefront of anti-drug operations in the region, conducting regular operations to disrupt and dismantle narcotics networks. "This seizure is one of the largest seizures in recent times and a significant milestone in the effort to combat drug trafficking," said the press release.