Narcotics bust: 109 kg Yaba worth ₹327 crore seized at Assam-Mizoram border

The Assam Rifles on Wednesday said this was one of the largest-ever recoveries of drugs in Assam till date

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), in a joint operation with the Assam Rifles seized 109.2 kilograms of banned narcotic substance Yaba tablets worth an estimated ₹327 crore in Assam’s Hailakandi district, near Mizoram border, and arrested one person, officials said on Wednesday.

The Assam Rifles on Wednesday said this was one of the largest-ever recoveries of drugs in Assam till date.

As per the official statement, based on specific intelligence, a joint team of the Assam Rifles and DRI conducted an operation in the Ramnathpur area of Hailakandi, on the intervening night of September 15 and 16.

“The operation resulted in the recovery of 546 packets of Yaba tablets weighing 109.200 kg along with two trucks, one mobile phone, one Aadhaar card and one driving licence. One person was also arrested during the operation,” the official statement said.

The statement further said the seizure of 109.2 kg of Yaba, one of the largest recoveries in the region is seen as a major blow to traffickers involved in inter-state narcotics trafficking. Officials said that the bust disrupted the movement of narcotics.

“The successful operation demonstrates the strong synergy, real-time intelligence sharing and coordinated action between Assam Rifles and DRI in combating organised narcotics trafficking and safeguarding communities from the illegal drug trade,” officials said.

This was the second such major Yaba seizure in Assam after the DRI recovered around 60kg of Yaba worth ₹168 crore in Cachar district in August.

On August 27, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that international drug-smuggling rackets were using routes from Myanmar to Bangladesh through Assam, Mizoram and Manipur.

“Wary of our relentless crackdown on drugs, the mafia is now attempting a new route from Myanmar through Arunachal Pradesh,” Sarma wrote on X.

He further wrote, “Let this be a clear warning: routes may change, but our resolve will not. We will hunt down every drug network and strike hard, wherever they operate.”

Police said that such seizures in the Barak Valley part of Assam, which shares borders with Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya and Bangladesh, have become a daily affair.

“Whenever we arrest anyone with such consignments, we examine the background and forward links to find the source and destination. Mostly, the consignments come from Myanmar through our two neighbouring states,” a senior cop from Cachar district said.

On Tuesday, Sarma announced that the state government would establish a government-run rehabilitation centre in every district to treat people affected by drug addiction and help them return to normal life.

He said there were allegations that private de-addiction centres provide drugs to youths sent there for treatment. He added that all private centres would undergo scrutiny.