Drugs worth Rs 500 crore seized along Myanmar border

New Delhi: Narcotics worth an estimated Rs 500 crore have been seized by the Assam Rifles after a joint operation along the India-Myanmar border in Manipur, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday.

A “Myanmar-origin” drug trafficker was also apprehended by the security personnel during the operation that took place in Manipur’s Moreh town, located along the India-Myanmar border, on Monday.

The Assam Rifles, which primarily guards the India-Myanmar border, undertook the “intelligence-based” operation with the state police, the paramilitary force said.

About 54 kg of brown sugar (an adulterated form of heroin) and 154 kg of methamphetamine, also known as ice or crystal meth, were seized.

The narcotics haul is worth Rs 500 crore, the statement said.

“Narco-terrorism is a major source of finance for the Indian terrorist groups based in Myanmar and has umbilical cord linkages with other players in the ‘golden triangle’ (the confluence of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar).

“This scourge is the main reason for rise in drug addiction among the youth of India, especially the northeast region, and is also a source for fuelling terrorism in the region,” the statement said.