Agartala, Oct 7: In one of the biggest drug hauls in recent months, the Assam Rifles, in coordination with Customs officials, seized narcotics worth around ₹70 crore and arrested four drug peddlers in Tripura’s Khowai district, officials said on Tuesday.
A defence spokesperson said the operation was carried out in the Singhichhara area, where a joint team intercepted two trucks disguised as carrying cement. On inspection, they recovered 69.61 kg of methamphetamine tablets, commonly known as Yaba, a highly addictive synthetic drug containing methamphetamine and caffeine.
The latest operation followed a similar seizure on September 29 in Tripura’s Mohanpur area, where 60.77 kg of Yaba tablets valued at ₹60 crore were recovered. Intelligence gathered from that bust helped officials track the smuggling network and routes used by traffickers.
Preliminary investigations suggest the consignment was smuggled from Myanmar via Mizoram and southern Assam into Tripura, with plans to transport it further to Bangladesh. Tripura shares an 856 km-long border with Bangladesh, making it vulnerable to cross-border smuggling and other illicit activities.
The defence PRO reiterated that the “Sentinels of the North East” remain committed to dismantling drug networks and promoting a drug-free society.
Chief Minister Manik Saha recently informed the state Assembly that security agencies had arrested 2,729 drug peddlers and 248 drug users over the last three financial years. He added that 28 accused are still absconding. The conviction rate under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act stood at 11.7% in 2022–23 and 5% in 2024.
Following court directives, seized narcotics have been destroyed under the supervision of state-level and high-level drug disposal committees, the Chief Minister said.
