Agartala, Oct 12: The Assam Rifles have seized highly addictive methamphetamine tablets worth over Rs 2 crore and arrested a suspected drug peddler in Tripura, officials said on Monday. A defence spokesman said that the Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with Assam Rifles Field Intelligence Unit (ARFIU) and Customs Department, Agartala, apprehended a suspected drug peddler and recovered 1.994 kg of methamphetamine tablets, also known as Yaba tablets, worth approximately Rs 2 crore at Mohanpur in West Tripura District.
A bike was also seized from the individual, a resident of Mohanpur. The apprehended suspected drug peddler, recovered contraband, and the two-wheeler were subsequently handed over to the Customs Department, Agartala, for further investigation.
Assam Rifles remains committed to combating drug trafficking and the narcotics menace in Tripura through coordinated operations with other law enforcement agencies, contributing towards a drug-free society, an Assam Rifles statement said. The methamphetamine tablets, also known as party tablets, containing a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine, also called the ‘crazy drug’, are banned in India.
Meanwhile, the Assam Rifles, in coordination with Customs, in two separate operations last week, have seized 841 kg of ganja (marijuana) worth around Rs 4.24 crore in Tripura’s Khowai district. A defence spokesman said that as part of a crackdown on narcotics trafficking, the Assam Rifles, in coordination with Customs officials, conducted both operations.
Police officials said that the state police, Assam Rifles, Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and other security forces, in joint operations, often destroy illicit ganja cultivation in different parts of the state, especially in Sepahijala district, which shares a border with Bangladesh.
According to a police official, dry ganja produced in Tripura is not consumed locally and is smuggled to various states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where it fetches higher prices. During transportation, consignments of dry ganja are often seized from trucks, small vehicles and even passenger trains.
IANS