Imphal, Sep 3 (IANS) In a major crackdown on narcotics trafficking networks, the Assam Rifles, in coordination with other security forces, seized brown sugar worth around Rs 80 crore and arrested a drug peddler in Manipur on Wednesday, officials said.
A defence spokesman said that continuing their relentless crackdown against narcotics trafficking, the Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Manipur Police dealt another major blow to drug trafficking networks operating in the Northeast.
The joint forces recovered a huge consignment of brown sugar from Makha Basti along J.T. Road in Manipur’s Jiribam district, which shares an inter-state border with southern Assam.
The spokesman said that the operation resulted in the seizure of 10 packets containing approximately 10.891 kg of brown sugar, with an estimated market value of around Rs 80 crore. In addition to the narcotics, Rs 1,500 in cash and one mobile handset were also recovered during the joint operation.
A suspected drug peddler was also apprehended by the joint team in connection with the seizure. The apprehended individual and all the recovered items have been handed over to Manipur Police for further investigation and necessary legal proceedings.
The operation showcased exemplary inter-agency synergy, seamless coordination and operational effectiveness among the Assam Rifles, CRPF and Manipur Police, the defence spokesman said.
Manipur Police officials suspect that the narcotics were smuggled from Myanmar and were intended to be trafficked to other parts of the country. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the contraband, identify others involved in the trafficking network and determine the intended destinations of the seized drugs, officials said.
Manipur and Mizoram have emerged as major drug-trafficking corridors in the Northeast due to their long and porous international borders with Myanmar and their proximity to the Golden Triangle, one of the world’s major illicit narcotics-producing regions.
Myanmar shares a 1,643-km-long border with four Northeastern states — Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km) and Mizoram (510 km) — with substantial stretches remaining unfenced, making the region vulnerable to cross-border trafficking of drugs, particularly heroin and methamphetamine tablets.
Five districts of Manipur — Churachandpur, Tengnoupal, Chandel, Kamjong and Ukhrul — share the state’s 398-km-long international border with Myanmar, much of which remains unfenced. The porous international border and difficult terrain have posed significant challenges for security agencies in curbing the smuggling of narcotics and other contraband from across the border.
Security forces and law-enforcement agencies have intensified their coordinated operations against drug trafficking networks in the region as part of the government’s continuing efforts to curb the menace of narcotics and dismantle transnational smuggling networks.
–IANS
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