NCB busts Rs 88 cr drug racket in North-East
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has seized a massive consignment of methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 88 crore and arrested four members of an international drug cartel in operations conducted in Imphal and Guwahati.
Home Minister Amit Shah, in a post on X, reaffirmed the government’s zero-tolerance policy towards drug cartels, stating that there would be no mercy for those involved.
Congratulating the NCB on the successful operation, he said the seizure underscored the effectiveness of the agency’s bottom-to-top and top-to-bottom approach to investigations.
In the first operation on March 13, acting on a tip-off, NCB officers from the Imphal zone intercepted a truck near the Lilong area. After a thorough search, they recovered 102.39 kg of methamphetamine tablets hidden inside the toolbox/cabin in the rear section of the vehicle. Two occupants of the truck were arrested.
Following up on the seizure, officials arrested the suspected receiver of the contraband from Lilong and also recovered a four-wheeler used for drug trafficking. All three were later taken into custody. The contraband is suspected to have originated from Moreh, a town in Manipur. Investigations are ongoing to identify other individuals linked to the case.
In another operation on the same day, NCB officials from the Guwahati zone intercepted an SUV near Silchar on the Assam-Mizoram border. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 7.48 kg of methamphetamine tablets concealed inside the spare tire. The vehicle occupant was arrested. The contraband was again traced back to Moreh, Manipur, with Karimganj suspected to be its intended destination.
Additionally, the NCB is taking over an investigation from the Mizoram State Excise Department related to a March 6 seizure of 46 kg of crystal meth at Brigade Bawngkawn, Aizawl. In this case, four persons linked to the drug syndicate have been arrested. The agency aims to probe the international and inter-state linkages of the trafficking network.
The North-Eastern region has emerged as one of India’s most vulnerable areas for drug trafficking due to its geographical location. The NCB, through its five zonal units and regional headquarters in the North-East, has been actively targeting traffickers, particularly those dealing in synthetic drugs like methamphetamine tablets, commonly known as YABA. These drugs not only pose a serious threat to the youth in the region, but also to national security as a whole.
