38 teams conduct simultaneous raids across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur; 1,424 bank accounts frozen and properties worth ₹17.82 crore attached
Guwahati, Oct 25: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has launched a major multi-state crackdown on an alleged international drug trafficking network, arresting 18 people, freezing 1,424 bank accounts and uncovering hawala transactions worth nearly ₹100 crore in coordinated raids across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur.
Dubbed Operation Trident, the operation was conducted in the early hours of October 23, with 38 multi-agency teams simultaneously searching 38 locations across the three northeastern states.
The operation also led to the attachment of properties worth ₹17.82 crore and the seizure of 500 detonators and ₹12 lakh in cash, according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the crackdown had targeted an international narco-cartel operating across borders and reiterated the government’s commitment to eliminating drug networks by December 31, 2029.
The operation involved the NCB, Mizoram Police, the Enforcement Directorate and other central and state agencies. The coordinated searches covered Aizawl, Champhai and Zokhawthar along the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram, as well as Churachandpur in Manipur and the Cachar corridor in Assam.
Myanmar-based kingpin at centre of investigation
According to the NCB, the investigation uncovered a transnational syndicate allegedly headed by Myanmar-based Thangcintuang, also known as Chintuang or Tluanga, who was wanted in more than 10 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The network allegedly routed methamphetamine and heroin from Myanmar through Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Tripura into mainland India and Bangladesh.
Investigators said earlier phases of the probe had led to the arrest of key figures in the alleged network, including the suspected kingpin, who was arrested in Delhi, and Vungkhanthawna, described as a key facilitator responsible for coordinating the movement and delivery of narcotics consignments.
The NCB had also arrested Lalrampari, identified as a suspected hawala operator, on August 8, 2024. Investigations into the financial trail reportedly revealed transactions worth nearly ₹100 crore, prompting joint action with the Enforcement Directorate.
Another alleged operative, Abu Saleh alias Saifuddin, described by investigators as a logistics coordinator for the Assam corridor, was arrested in Cachar on November 20, 2025.
Financial trail under scanner
Officials said financial profiling and digital forensic analysis of the earlier cases helped investigators identify a wider network of alleged facilitators, shell entities and money mules.
Operation Trident was designed to target both the logistical infrastructure used to move narcotics and the financial channels suspected of funding the trade.
The NCB described the operation as part of a broader shift towards dismantling entire criminal networks rather than focusing solely on drug seizures.
The crackdown is aligned with the government’s Vision Document on Narcotics Control for 2026–2029, which emphasises intelligence sharing, financial investigations and coordinated action against transnational drug syndicates.
The alleged use of cross-border routes linking India, Myanmar and Bangladesh also highlights the challenges facing enforcement agencies in tackling narcotics trafficking across the Northeast’s international borders.
The NCB said the operation followed days of intelligence-sharing, joint target mapping and coordinated planning among central and state agencies.
Further investigation is expected to focus on the network’s financial links, its cross-border supply chains and the wider circle of people allegedly involved in facilitating the trafficking operations.
The post NCB’s Operation Trident: 18 arrested, ₹100 crore hawala trail uncovered in Northeast drug cartel crackdown appeared first on Hub News.