The Assam Rifles stopped a major smuggling run in Mizoram’s Champhai district on Monday.
During a search on Farlui Road in Ruantlang, the troops seized 90 bags of poppy seeds and 120 bags of areca (betel) nuts – a haul worth about ₹1 crore. The cargo had crossed illegally from Myanmar and was meant to be shipped to other Indian states.
President of the “War on Drugs,” the Defence spokesman said the raid was guided by detailed intelligence. The seized goods were immediately handed over to the Customs Preventive Force in Champhai for investigation and prosecution.
This seizure underscores the Assam Rifles’ no‑tolerance stance on illicit trade along the Northeast’s porous borders. “We remain committed to keeping the region free of smuggling that undermines stability,” the official added.
Poppy seeds are a key ingredient in opium production. An acre of poppy can yield 3–4 kg of opium, valued at ₹4–5 lakh per kilogram on the black market. By crushing these seeds, traffickers feed the heroin and methamphetamine supply to the country.
Areca nuts – often called “Burmese betel nuts” – also come from Myanmar. Smugglers drive them into Assam, Tripura, and other Northeast states, putting local farmers at a disadvantage when trying to sell their own produce competitively. Farmers in Tripura and Assam have already staged protests against this illegal trade.
The Manipur government has linked rising ethnic tensions in the state to illegal immigrants from Myanmar, who have reportedly started poppy cultivation after settling there. Myanmar borders four Indian Northeastern states – Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram – along a 1,643‑km stretch of open frontier that traffickers use to move heroin, methamphetamine tablets, wildlife, and other contraband.
These six Mizoram districts – Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip – share a 510‑km frontier with Myanmar’s Chin state, a known smuggling hub. By disrupting shipments like this one, security forces aim to cut off a major source of illegal drugs and protect the region’s economy and peace.
Source: ianslive
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