DRI Seizes 76 Kg Methamphetamine in Assam, Mizoram, Two Arrested

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 76 kg of suspected methamphetamine tablets in two intelligence-led operations in Assam and Mizoram, arresting two persons under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

In the latest operation on August 25, DRI officers, assisted by personnel of the 38th Battalion of Assam Rifles, Silchar, intercepted a 12-wheeler truck at Lalpani, around 40 km from Silchar near the Assam-Manipur border. The vehicle was identified from a convoy arriving from Jiribam in Manipur.

A detailed search of the truck led to the discovery of a specially fabricated concealed cavity behind the driver's seat. Officials recovered 36 brick-sized packets weighing 1 kg each and 100 smaller packets weighing 200 grams each, containing pinkish-orange tablets suspected to be methamphetamine. Preliminary field testing indicated the presence of amphetamine. The 56 kg consignment and the truck were seized, while the occupant was arrested.

In an earlier operation on August 18, DRI officers intercepted a car at Bung Bangla on the Aizawl-Champhai Road, approximately 30 km from Aizawl. A search uncovered 20 kg of suspected methamphetamine tablets packed in 64 assorted-sized packets.

The drugs had been concealed in specially designed cavities inside the vehicle, including the rocker panels or side sills and the space between the fuel tank and the floor. Preliminary investigation indicated that the consignment had been smuggled from Myanmar into Mizoram through the Zokhawthar-Champhai sector. The driver was arrested and the vehicle seized.

Methamphetamine is a potent synthetic psychostimulant with a high potential for abuse and dependence. Its illicit use can cause cardiovascular complications, agitation, paranoia and psychosis, while prolonged abuse may result in severe dependence and neurological and behavioural impairment.

The DRI said both operations form part of its sustained crackdown on narcotics trafficking along the North-Eastern frontier.