The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), in a joint operation with the Assam Rifles seized 109.2 kilograms of banned narcotic substance Yaba tablets worth an estimated ₹ 327 crore in Assam’s Hailakandi district, near Mizoram border, and arrested one person, officials said on Wednesday.
As per the official statement, based on specific intelligence, a joint team of the Assam Rifles and DRI conducted an operation in the Ramnathpur area of Hailakandi, on the intervening night of September 15 and 16. “The operation resulted in the recovery of 546 packets of Yaba tablets weighing 109.200 kg along with two trucks, one mobile phone, one Aadhaar card and one driving licence. The statement further said the seizure of 109.2 kg of Yaba, one of the largest recoveries in the region is seen as a major blow to traffickers involved in inter-state narcotics trafficking. On August 27, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that international drug-smuggling rackets were using routes from Myanmar to Bangladesh through Assam, Mizoram and Manipur.
One person was also arrested during the operation,” the official statement said. Officials said that the bust disrupted the movement of narcotics. “The successful operation demonstrates the strong synergy, real-time intelligence sharing and coordinated action between Assam Rifles and DRI in combating organised narcotics trafficking and safeguarding communities from the illegal drug trade,” officials said.
The Assam Rifles on Wednesday said this was one of the largest-ever recoveries of drugs in Assam till date. On Tuesday, Sarma announced that the state government would establish a government-run rehabilitation centre in every district to treat people affected by drug addiction and help them return to normal life.
