Reported by Bit Irom
Imphal: Three alleged drug traffickers were arrested and a large consignment of heroin was seized in a joint anti-narcotics operation in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, officials said on Sunday.
The operation was carried out by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in coordination with the Assam Rifles and Manipur Police on the intervening night of April 23 and 24.
Officials said 474 soap cases of heroin, weighing approximately 5.43 kg and valued at around Rs 11 crore in the illicit international market, were recovered during the operation. The contraband was concealed in a fabricated cavity inside a Mahindra Bolero Camper used for transportation.
The operation, which lasted nearly three hours, also led to the seizure of the vehicle used in the trafficking.
All three accused, residents of Churachandpur district, were arrested at the spot. Preliminary investigations suggest that the consignment was sourced from Myanmar and was being transported through the northeastern region for further distribution in other parts of the country.
Officials said further investigations are underway to trace both backward and forward linkages in an effort to dismantle the larger cross-border drug trafficking network operating in the region.
The agency has stepped up surveillance and enforcement along the Indo–Myanmar border, which is considered vulnerable to narcotics trafficking. Authorities have also urged the public to share information related to drug activities through the MANAS helpline (1933).