In a crackdown on drug trafficking along the India-Myanmar border, security forces arrested three Assam residents with heroin worth Rs 1.13 crore in Mizoram’s Champhai district.
Acting on a tip-off, the Assam Rifles personnel established a mobile check post at a border crossing point in Zokhawthar village on March 24.
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A vehicle bearing an Assam registration number was intercepted, leading to a thorough search. Inside the vehicle, security forces recovered 12 packets of heroin, weighing 151.7 grams, concealed inside a pillow cover.
The three individuals apprehended in connection with the smuggling attempt were immediately detained.
Along with the seized narcotics, the vehicle used for transportation was also confiscated. The Assam Rifles handed over the accused and the seized contraband to the state excise and narcotics department in Champhai for further investigation and legal proceedings.
This bust is part of an ongoing effort to curb the trafficking of illegal drugs along the India-Myanmar border, a route frequently exploited by smugglers.
Mizoram has become a key transit point in the international drug trade, largely due to its proximity to Myanmar’s infamous Golden Triangle—one of the world’s largest producers of heroin and methamphetamine.
Earlier, on March 14, the Mizoram police made one of the largest heroin seizures in the state this year, confiscating 4.722 kilograms of the narcotic from Zokhawthar village.
Initially, six individuals, including a minor, were arrested. However, further investigation led to the arrest of two more persons, including a prominent businessman and franchisee of a multinational retail company in Aizawl on March 15.
Mizoram shares a porous 510-kilometer border with Myanmar, making it vulnerable to cross-border smuggling. The recent surge in drug-related arrests has prompted calls for stricter border surveillance and enhanced cooperation between Indian security forces and their Myanmar counterparts.
