Aizawl: A coordinated law enforcement operation along the Mizoram-Manipur border has led to the arrest of nine suspected traffickers and the seizure of 740 grams of heroin.
The raid took place during the early hours of Friday at around 2:30 AM in New Vervek, a village situated in the Aizawl district. The successful interception was a collaborative effort involving the Mizoram Excise and Narcotics Department, the Assam Rifles, and the Central Anti-Drug Squad of the Central Young Mizo Association.
Acting on precise intelligence, the joint task force stopped an unregistered vehicle moving through the border region. A thorough search of the vehicle uncovered the contraband package, with the heroin carefully hidden inside 61 soap cases.
The nine individuals taken into custody are all residents of Manipur’s Pherzawl district. Authorities believe they belong to an organised network moving narcotics across state lines. The suspects have been charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
The Shifting Smuggling Corridors Anti-narcotics officials state that aggressive law enforcement pressure, including Mizoram's 'Operation Jericho', has severely disrupted traditional trafficking routes passing through Champhai along the Myanmar border. As a result, syndicates are increasingly utilising the porous borders shared between Mizoram and Manipur to move illicit shipments into regional markets.
The vehicle has been impounded, and the accused have been remanded by the Special Court in Aizawl. Investigators are currently interrogating the suspects to identify the key suppliers and local distributors involved in the network.