Daijiworld Media Network - Aizawl

Aizawl, Jul 28: In a major anti-narcotics operation, the Assam Rifles have seized a massive consignment of heroin and methamphetamine tablets worth approximately Rs 40.05 crore from Mizoram’s Champhai district, which shares a porous border with Myanmar.

Acting on specific intelligence, Assam Rifles personnel launched a late-night search operation on Saturday in the Melbuk area near Zokhawthar, a key border town in eastern Mizoram. The operation led to the recovery of 1.041 kg of heroin and 9.381 kg of methamphetamine tablets from an abandoned location, a Defence spokesperson confirmed on Sunday.

The confiscated drugs were later handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Preliminary investigations suggest the contraband was smuggled from neighbouring Myanmar, a country increasingly notorious for narcotics production — especially in the lawless regions of Chin State.

Methamphetamine, often referred to by street names like Yaba, party pills, ice, or crystal meth, is a powerful stimulant widely abused for its euphoric effects. It is especially popular among partygoers and young adults, owing to its ability to suppress fatigue and hunger.

Mizoram has emerged as a key transit route in the regional drug trade, with six of its districts — Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip — sharing an unfenced 510-km-long border with Myanmar. These routes are routinely exploited by traffickers to move narcotics into India.

In response to the growing drug menace, Assam Rifles have intensified their community outreach, conducting seminars and group discussions across the state to raise awareness about drug abuse and trafficking. The campaigns aim to inform residents, particularly the youth, about the hazards of drug consumption and the serious legal consequences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

Speakers during these campaigns underscored the alarming rise in narcotics smuggling in border areas and urged communities to remain alert and report suspicious activities.

With enforcement actions and preventive awareness going hand-in-hand, the Assam Rifles continue to play a dual role as both sentinels of India’s eastern frontier and guardians of public health in the fight against drug trafficking.