NCB seizes 524 kg Ganja worth ₹2.6 Cr in Assam, 2 drug peddlers arrested

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has seized more than 500 kilograms of ganja worth about ₹2.6 crore in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district and arrested two alleged drug peddlers in a joint operation with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), officials said on Monday.

According to the NCB, its Guwahati Zonal Unit intercepted a truck transporting an illicit consignment from Manipur to West Bengal after receiving specific intelligence inputs. During a detailed search of the vehicle on Sunday, officers recovered 524.9 kg of ganja concealed inside a specially fabricated cavity in the truck designed to evade detection.

Two individuals were taken into custody in connection with the seizure. Preliminary investigations indicate that the contraband originated from forest areas in Senapati district of Manipur and was being transported to Birbhum district in West Bengal.

Officials said further investigation is underway to identify other members of the trafficking network involved in the interstate smuggling operation.

The latest seizure marks the second major drug bust by the NCB’s Guwahati Zonal Unit within a month . On February 7, the agency recovered 11.7 kg of methamphetamine worth around ₹9.5 crore near Silchar in Assam.

Authorities say the operation is part of a broader effort to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating across India’s northeastern states, which have increasingly become a key transit corridor for narcotics. The region’s proximity to the “Golden Triangle” a major drug-producing area spanning parts of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand has made it vulnerable to smuggling of synthetic drugs, heroin and cannabis into mainland India.

In view of the forthcoming assembly elections in Assam and West Bengal, the NCB has stepped up surveillance and enforcement operations. According to officials, the NCB’s North Eastern Region has seized drugs worth about ₹105 crore and arrested 40 traffickers in the past two months , reflecting an intensified crackdown on the narcotics trade.

Investigators believe sustained operations and inter-agency coordination are crucial to curbing the growing drug trafficking networks operating in the region.