New Delhi, Oct 25, KDC: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in coordination with state police and other central agencies, has launched a multi-state operation targeting an alleged transnational drug trafficking network, conducting simultaneous searches at 38 locations across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur.
According to a government release issued on Sunday, the operation, codenamed ‘Operation Trident’, was launched in the early hours of October 23 to dismantle the alleged cartel’s operational and financial network.
The operation resulted in the arrest of 18 people, the freezing of 1,424 bank accounts, the attachment of properties worth ₹17.82 crore, and the seizure of 500 detonators and ₹12 lakh in cash, the release said. It also cited the detection of hawala transactions worth approximately ₹100 crore linked to the network.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the coordinated action had targeted an international drug cartel operating across multiple locations in the Northeast.
In a post on X, Shah said: “Our agencies launched a barrage of simultaneous crackdowns across 38 locations in Assam, Mizoram and Manipur on 23 October, smashing an international narco-cartel.”
He said the operation had uncovered hawala transactions worth ₹100 crore, led to the freezing of 1,424 bank accounts and the attachment of properties valued at ₹17.82 crore, besides the seizure of detonators and cash.
According to the government release, 38 multi-agency teams carried out simultaneous searches at identified locations, including Aizawl, Champhai and Zokhawthar in Mizoram, Churachandpur in Manipur, and the Cachar transit corridor in Assam.
The operation was led by the NCB in coordination with Mizoram Police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), with agencies combining intelligence, financial investigation and field-level enforcement, the release said.
The release said investigations by the NCB, Mizoram Police and the ED had uncovered an alleged transnational syndicate involved in routing methamphetamine and heroin through the Myanmar–Mizoram–Manipur–Assam–Tripura corridor, with links extending into Bangladesh.
According to the release, the network was allegedly led by Myanmar-based Thangcintuang, also known as Chintuang or Tluanga, who was wanted in multiple cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The release said he had been arrested in Delhi following inter-state surveillance and further investigation.
It also identified Vungkhanthawna as an alleged facilitator involved in coordinating the movement of narcotics consignments. He was arrested and later detained under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, the release said.
Another alleged associate, Lalrampari, described by the authorities as a key hawala operator, was arrested by the NCB on August 8, 2024. Investigators subsequently traced nearly ₹100 crore in suspected illicit hawala transactions linked to the network, prompting joint action with the ED, according to the release.
The release further stated that Abu Saleh, also known as Saifuddin, was arrested in Cachar, Assam, on November 20, 2025. He was allegedly responsible for coordinating the transportation of narcotics through the Assam corridor.
Officials said financial profiling and digital forensic analysis during earlier stages of the investigation had revealed suspected facilitators, shell entities and money mules linked to the alleged syndicate. The latest operation was aimed at disrupting both the trafficking routes and the financial infrastructure supporting the network.
Shah said the action reflected the government’s commitment to tackling drug trafficking and dismantling the networks behind it. He congratulated the anti-narcotics teams and police forces involved in the operation.
The government said the crackdown was part of the broader Vision Document on Narcotics Control for 2026–2029, which emphasises targeting entire trafficking networks and their finances rather than focusing solely on drug seizures. (KDC)
