IMPHAL, Jan 12: Security forces arrested three suspected drug smugglers and seized 5.89 kg of yaba tablets, estimated to be worth over Rs 1 crore in the illegal market, during a checkpoint operation in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district, police said on Monday.
The arrests were made after a vehicle in which the accused were travelling was intercepted in the Tengnoupal police station area following specific intelligence inputs. The seized consignment points to a major attempt to traffic narcotics through the border district.
The arrested individuals have been identified as James Baite (28), Hatneikim Baite (50) and David T Mate (41).
Yaba, commonly referred to as “crazy medicine” in Thai, is a tablet-based form of methamphetamine and is considered a highly potent stimulant. International agencies note that the drug was first introduced in East Asia during World War II to enhance soldiers’ performance and has since evolved into one of the most abused synthetic narcotics across several Southeast Asian countries.
Police said further investigation is underway to trace the source of the seized drugs and to identify possible links to larger cross-border drug trafficking networks operating in the region.
