NCB Seizes Rs 12.5 Crore Heroin Consignment Trafficked from Myanmar in Assam

Guwahati: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has intercepted a high-value heroin consignment worth around Rs 12.5 crore in Assam, trafficked from Myanmar through a sophisticated riverine route, officials said.

Acting on weeks of intelligence, the Guwahati Zonal Unit of NCB, along with the CRPF and Assam Police, tracked the illegal shipment as it moved through Manipur's dense forests before being brought on small motorboats down the Barak River.

A senior NCB officer termed the operation ‘a big breakthrough’ against an international drug network misusing remote waterways to evade law enforcement. Authorities say that traffickers take more and more riverine routes to avoid checkpoints, urban surveillance, and security camps.

Earlier, on December 1, 2025, an indigenous motorboat was intercepted near Silchar in Cachar district. Two individuals from Assam were arrested, and a thorough search of the vessel revealed 6.149 kg of high-grade heroin, cleverly hidden inside 530 soap cases covered with bamboo layers. Initial investigations indicate that the heroin originated in Myanmar, passed through Manipur’s forest corridors, and was intended for the Hmarkhawlien–Fulertal–Lakhipur belt in southern Assam.

NCB officials said the riverine trafficking pattern reflects a growing trend of smugglers using inland waterways for cross-border transport of drugs. They said that dismantling the network is a major step in curbing the narcotics movement across Myanmar, Manipur, and Assam. It further stressed increased coordination among Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, state police, and the central armed forces. Joint Coordination Committee meetings at the state level in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura have been conducted to strengthen anti-drug enforcement strategies across the Northeast.

Also Read: Bomb Threats Trigger Panic at Two Delhi University Colleges