Yaba tablets, the ‘crazy medicine’, worth Rs 8 crore seized; 2 held

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 2

The Border Security Force (BSF) and Silchar police have arrested two persons with 80 bundles containing 1.6 lakh Yaba tablets worth Rs 8 crore.

A raid was conducted on Wednesday at ‘New City Lodge’ at Kaithal Point on Hailakandi Road in Silchar following a tip-off by BSF’s intelligence wing.

The arrested persons were identified as Biplab Dey and Sahajalal Miah, both from Tripura, a BSF release said.

During the year, BSF has so far seized 1,60,170 Yaba tablets and 2,848 Ketamine tablets. Such frequent seizures and apprehension would definitely dent the syndicate involved in smuggling activities, said a senior BSF official.

Yaba, a Thai word for “crazy medicine”, is a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine that comes in different flavours and colours. Inhaling its fumes or snorting the crushed powder induces a hyper-alert state so exhilarating that users have been tempted to give up on heroin and ganja. There is also a crystalline variant of this drug known as ‘Ice’, made up entirely of methamphetamine.

The sustained use of Yaba can cause permanent damage to lungs, kidneys and blood vessels in the brain, which could eventually cause a stroke, cardiac arrest and rotting of the teeth.

BSF officials believe the drug is imported from laboratories in Myanmar through the Mizoram and Manipur border.