Drugs valued at Rs 62 crore seized in Manipur, two held

Imphal, Jan 17 (IANS) In a significant blow to the illicit drug trade, Assam Rifles successfully intercepted and recovered a massive cache of banned Yaba tablets and Brown Sugar worth around Rs 62 crores from Mata Village in Manipur’s Churachandpur District, officials said on Friday.

The Assam Rifles personnel also arrested two drug peddlers including a woman and recovered Rs 3.37 lakh, four smart mobile phones with Indian and Myanmar SIM cards from them.

A Defence spokesman said that acting on secret information, the para-military troops launched a search operation and on Thursday night recovered the drugs, smuggled from Myanmar, from Mata village, five km south of Churachandpur district headquarters, which is 64 km from the state capital Imphal.

A column of Assam Rifles established a Mobile Vehicle Check Post at the Mata village and intercepted a vehicle (Fortuner) and upon frisking, two individuals confessed to carrying contraband items which included Brown sugar and methamphetamine tablets (also known as Yaba tablets).

The apprehended drug peddlers were identified as Chingsen (36) and L Pausuanlal Simte (38) and they are residents of Bible Hill Renkai in Churachandpur District.

The spokesman said that the Brown Sugar, worth around Rs 12 crores contained in 208 soap cases while two lakhs highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, valued at Rs 50 crores, contained in other packets.

A cash amount of Rs 3.37 lakh, four smart mobile phones with six Indian SIM cards, one Myanmar SIM card (MPT) and a Fortuner car were seized from the drug peddlers. The seized items and apprehended individuals have been handed over to Churachandpur Police Station for further investigation.

This significant seizure is a testament to the relentless efforts of Assam Rifles in combating the illicit drug trade and maintaining security in the region, the spokesman said.

Appreciating the security forces for drug seizure, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said in a post on the X, “Well done state security forces. No compromise on war on drugs.”

Manipur shares 398 km of unfenced border with Myanmar and infiltration from across the border and drugs smuggling taking place through the frontier often.

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