Assam Police bust drug racket; seize narcotics worth Rs 3 crore

Guwahati, July 10 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Friday commended a police team in the Sribhumi district for seizing 30,000 Yaba tablets valued at around Rs 3 crore and arresting three persons in connection with the narcotics haul, reiterating the state government’s commitment to its anti-drug campaign.

Taking to X, the Chief Minister praised the police action with a sharp message underscoring the government’s crackdown on drug trafficking.

“Every shipment has a destination, this one was the police station. Kudos to @sribhumipolice for seizing 30,000 Yaba tablets worth approx ₹3 cr and apprehending three accused,” Sarma posted.

The Chief Minister also used the hashtag #AssamAgainstDrugs, a campaign that has become synonymous with the state’s sustained drive against narcotics.

According to officials, the consignment of Yaba tablets was intercepted during a police operation in Sribhumi district.

Three persons allegedly involved in the smuggling racket were taken into custody, while the contraband, estimated to be worth nearly Rs 3 crore in the illicit market, was seized.

Police have launched further investigations to ascertain the source of the consignment and identify the broader network involved in trafficking the synthetic drug.

The Barak valley region in Southern Assam has often been used as a territory for the movement of narcotics items as the locality is surrounded by interstate borders with Manipur and Mizoram.

It has been considered that a large cache of drugs are transported from the neighbouring states using the Barak valley as a corridor.

Yaba, commonly referred to as the “crazy drug”, is a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine and is widely trafficked across international borders.

Assam, owing to its strategic location in the Northeast, has witnessed repeated attempts by drug smugglers to use the state as a transit route for narcotics.

The Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government has intensified its war against drugs since assuming office in 2021, with law enforcement agencies conducting regular raids, destroying seized narcotics and dismantling inter-state and cross-border trafficking networks.

Senior police officials have maintained that anti-narcotics operations will continue across vulnerable districts to curb the menace of drug trafficking and prevent the circulation of psychotropic substances in the state.

The latest seizure adds to a series of major narcotics busts reported from Assam in recent months as security agencies continue to tighten surveillance along key trafficking corridors.

–IANS

tdr/rad