Aizawl [Mizoram]: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in coordination with the Mizoram Police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has launched a major crackdown on an alleged transnational drug trafficking network operating across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur.
The operation, named Operation Trident, was conducted on October 23, with 38 multi-agency teams carrying out simultaneous searches at 38 identified locations across the three states.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the operation resulted in the arrest of 18 people. Authorities also identified hawala transactions worth nearly ₹100 crore, froze 1,424 bank accounts and attached properties valued at ₹17.82 crore. Security agencies seized 500 detonators and ₹12 lakh in cash.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the coordinated action had dealt a major blow to an international drug trafficking network. He congratulated the central agencies and police forces of the three states for their joint efforts.
Investigations have linked the network to the cross-border trafficking of methamphetamine and heroin through routes connecting Myanmar, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Tripura, with onward movement into mainland India and Bangladesh.
The investigation, led by the NCB in coordination with state police and the ED, involved intelligence-sharing, financial profiling and digital forensics. According to the ministry, the probe uncovered a wider network of alleged facilitators, shell entities and individuals involved in moving illicit funds.
Operation Trident is part of the government’s broader strategy to dismantle transnational drug trafficking syndicates by targeting their financial networks and logistical operations, rather than focusing solely on drug seizures.
The action is in line with the Vision Document on Narcotics Control for 2026–2029, which aims to strengthen coordinated enforcement against drug networks. The government has set a target of eliminating every drug network by December 31, 2029.
[DD News]