Aizawl, Sep 1: The Mizoram government will launch a special operation to curb the smuggling of drugs from outside the state, particularly from Myanmar, a senior police officer said on Sunday.
The four-month-long operation will be launched on Monday and will conclude on December 31, Mizoram Inspector General of Police (IGP) H Ramthlengliana said.
The police, in coordination with the excise and narcotics department and the Young Mizo Association (YMA), the largest civil society organisation of the state, will conduct the drive.
Earlier, Home Minister K Sapdanga had said that drug smugglers and addicts often commit theft and other crimes, endangering society, which demands the need to launch a massive fight against drug smuggling and addiction.
Ramthlengliana claimed that only 10 per cent of the drugs smuggled from Myanmar were seized by the law enforcement agencies.
He said that 32 policemen will be deployed in border areas along the Indo-Myanmar border to assist Assam Rifles and local volunteers in curbing drug trafficking from the neighbouring country.
Last week, a team of the police and Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA) led by Ramthlengliana visited border villages in east Mizoram’s Champhai district and interacted with local leaders on the proposed special operation.
Ramthlengliana said that Champhai is a hub and main gateway of drug trafficking, as 170 out of 370 drug smuggling cases registered across the state last year were done by Champhai police.
Mizoram has been grappling with the menace of drug abuse and drug trafficking from south-east Asian countries, particularly Myanmar with which it shares a 510-km-long porous border.
According to the state excise and narcotics department, 51 people, including seven women, have died of drug abuse from January to August 8 this year.
In more than five years since 2020, a total of 351 people have died due to substance abuse.
According to data accessed by PTI, the state police alone seized various drugs, including 2,350 kg of Methamphetamine tablets, 89 kg of crystal meth and 243 kg of heroin, altogether worth Rs 770.95 crore from 2020 to May 2025.
Excise and narcotics department also seized various drugs, including 212.987 kg of heroin, 568.991 kg of methamphetamine and 1566.662 kg of ganja, altogether valued at Rs 152.43 crore from 2020 to 8 August, 2025.
A total of 4,400 people have also been arrested and booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act during the same period, the department said.(PTI)
