46 kg heroin among 127 kg drugs seized in Mizoram in 2024
The government is working on a war footing to combat drug trafficking & support those battling addiction

Aizawl, June 23: Mizoram has recorded the seizure of 127.49 kilograms of illicit drugs so far this year, Excise and Narcotics Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar said. Of the total, 46.68 kg of heroin was confiscated by the Excise and Narcotics Department, while the Mizoram Police seized another 80.81 kg.
Speaking at a programme organised by the YMA Tlangnuam Branch in Aizawl on Saturday to mark the 90th YMA Day, the Minister said authorities are working on a war footing to combat drug trafficking and support those battling addiction.
Despite frequent busts, Hmar voiced concern that a significant volume of narcotics continues to pass through the state undetected. “Most of the drugs seized are not meant for consumption in Mizoram,” he said. “But the state has become a major trafficking route for smugglers bringing narcotics from neighbouring Myanmar.”
Officials attributed the surge in trafficking through Mizoram to the closure of the Moreh route in Manipur, following ongoing ethnic violence and political instability in Myanmar. This has made Mizoram a new conduit for cross-border smuggling.
Highlighting the severity of the crisis, Hmar said the state has around 14,000 known injecting drug users (IDUs). He urged civil society groups, including the YMA and churches, to reclaim their frontline role in combating the menace. “We cannot go back. It’s time we treat this as a mission,” he said.
Drawing a parallel with the COVID-19 period, Hmar noted that churches had stepped in when the government was stretched thin. “Similarly, to rescue our young people from drugs, churches must once again take the lead,” he said, calling for inter-denominational cooperation to hold at least one de-addiction camp every year.
In line with the Centre’s Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, several NGOs and churches in Mizoram have been actively campaigning against drug abuse. As part of these efforts, a special programme was recently held in Lunglei’s Electric Veng locality by the Baptist Church of Mizoram (BCM), focusing on children under 17 and their parents.
The event, chaired by Upa R Vanlaldika, Chairman of the Social Concern Committee, featured Rev. Lalremsiama Fanai, Chaplain of HATIM, as the resource person. His session focused on “Good Parenting and Protecting Children from Drug Abuse.”
Citing a BCM-led survey, Fanai revealed alarming trends: 95% of young drug users (aged 13-17) were boys and 5% were girls. Among middle and high school students, 71% had already experimented with drugs.