Assam Rifles, Tripura Police seize drugs worth Rs 6 crore

Assam Rifles, in coordination with police, conducted a joint operation and seized and destroyed ganja (marijuana) plantations worth around Rs 6 crore in Tripura, officials said on Thursday.

A defence spokesman said that the para-military troops and Tripura Police personnel, in their joint operation at Batadhala in Sepahijala district on Wednesday afternoon, seized ganja (marijuana) worth Rs 5.35 crore and destroyed 15,000 marijuana saplings valued at Rs 60 lakh.

The spokesman said that acting on credible intelligence, the joint team swiftly executed the operation, delivering a significant blow to illegal drug cultivation and smuggling networks in the area, which is near the India-Bangladesh border.

The seized marijuana was handed over to the police for further legal proceedings, while the illicit plantation was destroyed on-site to prevent its further exploitation.

This successful operation highlights Assam Rifles’ continued efforts in combating drug trafficking and maintaining law and order, an official statement said.

It added that Assam Rifles, in close coordination with law enforcement agencies, remains committed to safeguarding the region from the menace of illicit drugs.

A police official stated that they are looking for the marijuana cultivators.

In Tripura, illegal marijuana cultivation and poppy cultivation in Manipur are common in hill areas, with these being smuggled out of the region for drug production. Security forces frequently destroy marijuana and poppy plantations as part of their efforts to curb the illegal drug trade.

Additionally, various drugs, including heroin and highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, are often smuggled into the northeastern states of India from Myanmar, which shares a 1,643 km-long unfenced border with four northeastern states — Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km), and Mizoram (510 km).