Mizoram Police arrest Manipur man with heroin worth Rs 2.91 crore

Aizawl, October 21 (IANS) Mizoram Police have arrested a drug peddler from neighbouring Manipur and seized 1.457 kg of heroin, valued at approximately Rs 2.91 crore, officials said on Wednesday.  A senior police official said that a special team of the state police conducted random checks at Kualmawi in Keifang, Saitual district, as part of its ongoing enforcement activities on Tuesday night. The police team intercepted a white Maruti Suzuki Brezza, driven by the alleged drug peddler, identified as Thangminlun Baite (24), a resident of Manipur's Kangpokpi district. Baite was travelling from Manipur towards Mizoram's capital, Aizawl, when the vehicle was stopped on suspicion of carrying illegal contraband, the official said.A detailed search of the vehicle was conducted in the presence of independent witnesses, during which the police team recovered and seized 100 soap cases containing heroin, weighing a total of 1.457 kg and valued at approximately Rs 2.914 crore. The accused was arrested on the spot, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the forward and backward linkages of the drug trafficking network, including the source of the contraband and its intended destination.Mizoram and Manipur have emerged as major drug-trafficking corridors in the Northeast due to their long and porous international borders with Myanmar and their proximity to the Golden Triangle, one of the world's major illicit narcotics-producing regions. The Golden Triangle, comprising parts of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, has long been associated with the illicit production and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The region's proximity to India's northeastern states has posed persistent challenges for security forces and drug enforcement agencies working to curb the cross-border smuggling of narcotics.Six districts of Mizoram and five districts of Manipur share a 910-km-long international border with Myanmar, much of which remains unfenced, making the region vulnerable to cross-border smuggling and other illegal activities involving narcotics and contraband goods. The substances and items trafficked across the region include highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, heroin, foreign-made cigarettes, fertilisers and other contraband products.Security agencies in the two northeastern states have continued enforcement operations to combat drug trafficking and disrupt networks suspected of operating across the international border and connecting routes within the region.