AIZAWL, April 3: Assam Rifles seized 42,000 methamphetamine tablets, valued at Rs 12.54 crore, in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district on Wednesday. Officials confirmed that the contraband was smuggled from Myanmar.
Acting on intelligence inputs, Assam Rifles personnel raided the Bualpui area of Lawngtlai and recovered the narcotics, commonly known as Yaba or party tablets. The seized drugs were handed over to Bualpui Police Station for further investigation.
This is the second major drug seizure in Lawngtlai within a week. On March 25, Assam Rifles, in coordination with the Excise and Narcotics Department, confiscated 50,000 methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 15 crore from Bualpui. A 53-year-old Myanmarese national from Lungrang village in Myanmar’s Hakha district was arrested in connection with the case.
Myanmar’s Chin state serves as a key transit point for drug trafficking, with narcotics entering India through six Mizoram districts—Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip. Champhai remains a hub for smuggling activities, including drugs, foreign cigarettes, areca nuts, arms, ammunition, and exotic wildlife.
Illegal border routes in Mizoram and Manipur facilitate the movement of smuggled goods into other Indian states and neighbouring countries, particularly Bangladesh. Mizoram shares a 510-km unfenced border with Myanmar and a 318-km border with Bangladesh.
