Mizoram: Assam Rifles Seize Contraband Worth Rs 8 Crore in Two Operations

AIZAWL: The Assam Rifles troops recovered substantial quantities of foreign cigarettes and Burmese areca nuts, altogether worth over Rs 8 crore, in two separate operations in Champhai and Lawngtlai districts of Mizoram, near the Myanmar border, on Thursday.

During an operation in the Cherhlun area of the Lawngtlai district, Assam Rifles personnel, along with the Mizoram police, seized 600 cases of foreign cigarettes smuggled from Myanmar. The seized cigarettes, worth Rs 7.8 crore, were handed over to the state police at Thingsai village in the neighboring Hnahthial district the same day.

In another operation, a joint team of Assam Rifles and the Customs Preventive Force, acting on specific information, seized 4,400 kg of Burmese areca nuts at Hmuhmeltha in Champhai district, which shares a border with Myanmar.

The entire consignment, worth Rs 30.8 lakh, was handed over to the customs preventive force in Champhai for further legal proceedings. In connection with the seizures, authorities apprehended Lalrin Chhana (28), an alleged trafficker and a resident of Champhai.

Between November 20 and December 10, various drugs, including heroin and methamphetamine tablets valued at around Rs 200 crore, were seized in Mizoram, Tripura, and Assam. All the drugs were seized in the three northeastern states after being smuggled from Myanmar. The accessible corridor for drug ferrying from Myanmar includes Mizoram, southern Assam, and Tripura.

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