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In a major crackdown on cross-border narcotics smuggling, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Guwahati Zonal Unit has busted an international drug trafficking network operating along the Myanmar-Manipur-Assam axis and seized 6.149 kg of heroin in a swift riverine operation.
Acting on specific intelligence developed over a prolonged period, NCB officials tracked the movement of an illicit consignment transported through dense forest routes in Manipur and ferried on small motorboats along the Barak River to evade routine security checks, a release said. On Monday, an NCB team intercepted an indigenous motorboat on the Barak River near Silchar. It apprehended two persons identified as Jacob Hmar of Diger Fulertal, Lakhipur, and Melodi Hmar of Tupidar Forest, Lakhipur, both from Cachar district. A detailed search of the vessel led to the recovery of 6.149 kg of high-grade heroin packed in 530 soap cases and concealed beneath bamboo layers. The seized narcotics are estimated to be worth around Rs 12.5 crore in the illicit market. Initial investigation suggests the contraband originated in Myanmar and was moved through forest corridors in Manipur before being routed towards the Hmarkhawlien-Fulertal-Lakhipur belt. The NCB said traffickers increasingly rely on vulnerable river systems to bypass police checkpoints, surveillance points and security camps. The arrested individuals will be produced before the court, along with the seized substance, for further legal proceedings, officials added. (ANI)
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