Guwahati, Dec 2 : In a major operation against an international drug cartel, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has seized Rs 12.5 crore worth of “high-grade” heroin in Assam, transported through riverine route from Myanmar, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Acting on specific intelligence gathered over an extended period, the NCB’s Guwahati Zonal Unit, in a joint operation with CRPF and Assam Police, tracked an illicit drug consignment being ferried through dense forest routes in Manipur and transported via small motorboats along the Barak river to evade conventional security checks.
“On December 1, 2025, NCB Guwahati intercepted an indigenous motorboat on the Barak river near Silchar (Cachar district) and apprehended two individuals,” the official told PTI.
A thorough search of the machine-operated country boat led to the recovery of 6.149 kg of “high-grade” heroin, concealed inside 530 soap cases and skillfully hidden beneath bamboo layers, she added.
“The seized narcotics are valued at approximately Rs 12.5 crore in the illicit market,” the NCB Guwahati official said.
Both arrested individuals, who are residents of Cachar district of Assam, will be produced before the court along with the seized contraband for further legal action.
Explaining the modus operandi, the NCB official said preliminary investigation indicates that the consignment originated in Myanmar, moved through forest corridors in Manipur, and was headed towards the Hmarkhawlien–Fulertal–Lakhipur belt.
“The traffickers used riverine routes specifically to bypass urban surveillance, police checkpoints and security camps. The operation highlights a growing trafficking strategy that exploits vulnerable river systems for cross-border drug movement,” the official added.
The official claimed that this significant breakthrough against cross-border narcotics smuggling has, in a way, dismantled an international drug trafficking network operating across Myanmar–Manipur–Assam.
“Beyond operations, NCB North Eastern Region has intensified coordination among Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (DLEAs), state police and CAPFs/Border Guarding Forces to improve the overall enforcement ecosystem,” she added.
The senior NCB Guwahati official further said that state-level Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meetings have been conducted for Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura to prevent cases of drug trafficking in the region. (PTI)
