DRI cracks down on Myanmar-linked drug network, seizes 50 kg of meth in Northeast, arrests four | Today’s news
New Delhi: In a crackdown on cross-border drug smuggling, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 50 kg of methamphetamine, including 30 kg of Yaba tablets and 20 kg of crystal meth, in two operations in Mizoram and Assam and arrested four people under the Narcotic Drugs Act, 185 drugs and psychotropic substances.
The seizure took place on October 29 and 30 following specific intelligence inputs about the movement of multiple consignments of narcotics from Zokhawthar to Aizawl and Silchar, the finance ministry said in a statement on Friday.
In the first operation on October 29, DRI officers with the operational assistance of the Assam Rifles intercepted a vehicle on the outskirts of Aizawl along the Aizawl-Champhai road. A search of the vehicle yielded 30 kg of methamphetamine tablets, packaged in 30 brick-sized packages. The drugs were hidden in a specially constructed cavity inside an office desk with a storage cabinet.
Read also | DRI seized 232 kg of methamphetamine in North East raid
Yaba, Thai for “crazy pill” or “crazy medicine”, is an illegal synthetic drug that is a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine. Four people were arrested in two operations under the NDPS Act. In addition, all three vehicles allegedly used to transport contraband were seized, the finance ministry said in a statement.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the drugs were smuggled from Myanmar, the ministry said.
The latest seizures come on the back of two other large methamphetamine seizures of 232kg and 56kg in the North East region. The back-to-back operations underscore the scale and persistence of cross-border synthetic drug trafficking and the challenges law enforcement faces in identifying and dismantling networks operating along international borders.
The DRI said it “remains committed to disrupting organized narcotics trafficking networks, preventing the spread of synthetic drugs and protecting the country from the social and public health consequences of drug abuse”.
Read also | DRI seized 362 tonnes of dates originating in Pakistan routed through the UAE
The seizures also highlight the growing threat posed by the Golden Triangle, a major drug-producing area where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet. Myanmar’s Shan State has become a major center for the production of synthetic drugs, particularly methamphetamine, with trade networks increasingly extending their reach into South Asia, including India’s northeastern states.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has identified the Golden Triangle as a major hub for drug production in the region, with organized crime groups operating across borders and adapting trade routes and hiding methods to evade law enforcement.
The scale of illicit trade is considerable. According to a UNODC report released in July 2026, the total annual retail value of the methamphetamine, ketamine and heroin markets in Southeast Asia is estimated to be between US$75 billion and US$109.7 billion. Separately, authorities in East and Southeast Asia seized a record 349 tons of methamphetamine in 2025, a 48% increase from the previous year, according to the UNODC. The agency also highlighted the growing reach of synthetic drugs from Southeast Asia into South Asia, Africa and Europe, underscoring the transnational nature of smuggling networks.
Read also | DRI seizes cocaine worth ₹11.25 crore at Mumbai airport, four arrested
The latest operation follows a series of major seizures by the DRI along India’s northeastern border in recent months. On September 16, the agency seized 231.8 kg of suspected methamphetamine tablets from four trucks intercepted at several locations in Assam and Tripura. Three people were arrested and all four vehicles were seized. In this operation, the drugs were hidden in specially constructed cavities in the roofs of truck cabs, including a cargo carrier carrying a declared load of cement.
Earlier on August 28, DRI seized 76 kg of suspected methamphetamine tablets in two separate operations in Assam and Mizoram and arrested two people. In the Assam operation, 56 kg of tablets were recovered from a specially made cavity behind the driver’s seat of a truck intercepted near Silchar. In Mizoram, another 20 kg was recovered from deep cavities in the car’s side panels and the space between the fuel tank and the floor. Preliminary investigation revealed that the latter consignment was smuggled from Myanmar through the Zokhawthar-Champhai sector.
In another operation announced on August 7, the OC seized 15 kg of methamphetamine tablets from an ambulance seized near Aizawl. The drugs were hidden in a bag placed next to the patient’s bed with a patient dummy. Preliminary investigations revealed that the consignment had entered Mizoram from Myanmar and was destined for onward transportation to Assam. Three people, including the ambulance driver, were arrested in the case.
