Mizoram drug smuggling soars, 627 kg meth & 80 kg heroin confiscated
Champhai district remains the primary entry point, with authorities confiscating large quantities of drugs.
File image of a drug haul
Aizawl, March 1: The volume of narcotic drugs smuggled into Mizoram from Southeast Asia through Myanmar has seen a sharp rise over the last two years, with law enforcement agencies reporting record-breaking seizures, officials said on Friday.
According to Enforcement authorities, the Mizoram Police confiscated 154.172 kg of methamphetamine in 2023, a figure that skyrocketed to 627.741 kg last year. The quantity of heroin seized also rose significantly, increasing from 68.055 kg in 2023 to 80.814 kg in the following year.
Champhai district, which shares a porous border with Myanmar's Chin State, remains the primary gateway for drug smuggling into Mizoram. Among the five districts bordering Myanmar, Champhai has emerged as the most critical point in the state's anti-narcotics operations.
Police in Champhai made significant strides in February alone, seizing contraband worth over Rs 25.71 crore. A total of 23 individuals were arrested in connection with 19 cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psycho-tropic Substances Act, 1985.
Addressing a meeting of the Champhai District Level Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) on Friday, Champhai SP Shivendu Bhushan stated that law enforcement officers had seized 1.818 kg of heroin, 4.319 kg of meth-amphetamine, and 5.169 kg of crystal meth in the district over the past month. He added that on February 19, authorities destroyed confiscated drugs valued at over Rs 61.68 crore in the presence of Champhai Deputy Com-missioner VL Remliana.
Meanwhile, personnel from the State Excise and Narcotics Department stationed in Champhai also made notable seizures during the same period, confiscating 79 grams of heroin, 5.555 kg of metham-phetamine, and 945 grams of raw opium.