Guwahati: The Assam Rifles has seized a large consignment of contraband cigarettes valued at around Rs 82 lakh during a joint operation with Cachar Police in Assam’s Cachar district.
As per Assam Rifles, the operation was carried out late in the evening of February 22, 2026, based on specific inputs. The team intercepted the illegal consignment of Esse Light cigarettes that was being transported through the Bhaskhandi area.
The seized cigarettes have been handed over to Cachar Police for further investigation and legal action.
"Assam Rifles launched a joint operation with Cachar Police in Cachar District, Assam. During the operation, the team caught a consignment of contraband Esse Light cigarettes worth ₹82L being transported via Bhaskhandi late in the evening on 22 February 2026. The cigarettes have been handed over to Cachar Police for further investigation," Assam Rifles wrote on X.
Security agencies said the operation is part of sustained efforts to curb the movement of smuggled goods through the region, which has seen repeated attempts by contraband networks to use interior routes.
Earlier in January this year, Assam Rifles had conducted another major anti-smuggling operation in southern Mizoram. During that drive at Tuipang in Siaha district, personnel recovered Burmese Kyat valued at approximately Rs 1.75 crore along with smuggled tobacco worth Rs 50,000 and foreign cigarettes estimated at Rs 1.30 lakh.
One individual was apprehended in that operation, and the recovered items were handed over to Tuipang Police Station for further legal proceedings.
The paramilitary force has reiterated its commitment to maintaining vigil along the Indo-Myanmar corridor and said coordinated operations with state police will continue to dismantle smuggling networks in the Northeast.
In a separate action in January, Assam Rifles had also seized 13.3 grams of heroin No. 4, valued at nearly Rs 9.97 lakh, from Champhai district of Mizoram, underscoring intensified enforcement against cross-border illegal trade.