DRI Seizes 76 Kg of Meth Tablets
Two operations in Assam and Mizoram lead to arrests as contraband is found hidden in modified vehicles
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 28th Aug: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 76 kg of tablets suspected to be methamphetamine in two intelligence-led operations along the north-eastern frontier, officials said.
The operations were conducted in Assam and Mizoram, resulting in the arrest of two persons under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
On August 25, DRI officers, assisted by personnel of the 38th Battalion, Assam Rifles, Silchar, intercepted a 12-wheeler truck at Lalpani, around 40 km from Silchar near the Assam-Manipur border.
The vehicle was identified from a convoy arriving from Jiribam in Manipur. During a detailed examination, officials detected a specially fabricated concealed cavity in the driver’s cabin behind the driver’s seat.
The cavity contained 36 brick-sized packets weighing 1 kg each and 100 smaller packets weighing 200 grams each. The packets contained pinkish-orange tablets suspected to be methamphetamine.
Preliminary testing using a field detection kit indicated the presence of amphetamine. The 56 kg of recovered contraband, along with the truck, was seized under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act. The occupant of the vehicle was arrested.
In an earlier operation on August 18, DRI officers intercepted a car on the Aizawl-Champhai Road at Bung Bangla, approximately 30 km from Aizawl.
A detailed search resulted in the recovery of 64 packets containing 20 kg of pinkish-orange tablets suspected to be methamphetamine.
The tablets were concealed in specially designed deep cavities in the vehicle’s rocker panels and side sills on both sides, as well as in the space between the fuel tank and the floor.
Field testing indicated the presence of amphetamine. Preliminary investigation suggested that the contraband had been smuggled from Myanmar into Mizoram through the Zokhawthar-Champhai sector.
The 20 kg of contraband and the vehicle were seized under the NDPS Act, and the driver was arrested.
The latest seizures form part of the DRI’s continued action against narcotics trafficking along India’s north-eastern frontier.
Methamphetamine is a synthetic psychostimulant with a high potential for abuse and dependence. The substance is notified as a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act, 1985, under which illicit manufacture, possession, transportation and trafficking attract stringent penalties.
