Operation Trident Exposed ₹100 Cr Hawala Network: Amit Shah
NCB-led crackdown across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur reports 18 arrests, ₹100 crore in hawala transactions and assets worth ₹17.82 crore attached.
- NCB conducts coordinated raids at 38 locations
- Authorities report 18 arrests across three states
- 1,424 bank accounts frozen during the operation
- Properties worth ₹17.82 crore attached by authorities
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 25th Oct: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has launched Operation Trident, conducting coordinated searches at 38 locations across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur to dismantle an alleged international drug trafficking network.
The operation was carried out in the early hours of October 23, 2026, with 38 multi-agency teams deployed simultaneously across the three states. The crackdown targeted the operational and financial networks of a transnational cartel accused of trafficking narcotics across India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the operation had exposed nearly ₹100 crore in hawala transactions. Authorities also froze 1,424 bank accounts, attached properties worth ₹17.82 crore, seized 500 detonators and ₹12 lakh in cash, and arrested 18 people.
The investigation reportedly identified trafficking routes connecting Myanmar with Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Tripura, with consignments of methamphetamine and heroin allegedly moved towards mainland India and Bangladesh. Key locations covered during the operation included Aizawl, Champhai and Zokhawthar in Mizoram, Churachandpur in Manipur, and the Cachar transit corridor in Assam.
The NCB coordinated the operation with Mizoram Police, the Enforcement Directorate and other central and state agencies. Investigators used intelligence-sharing, financial profiling and digital forensics to identify alleged facilitators, shell entities and individuals suspected of handling illicit funds.
Earlier phases of the investigation had led to the arrests of alleged network members, including Myanmar-based kingpin Thangcintuang, also known as Chintuang or Tluanga, who was arrested in Delhi, according to the operation details. Other individuals named in the investigation include alleged facilitator Vungkhanthawna, hawala operator Lalrampari and logistics operative Abu Saleh, also known as Saifuddin.
Shah congratulated the anti-narcotics teams and police forces involved in the operation. He said the crackdown reflected a shift towards targeting entire trafficking networks and their financial channels rather than focusing solely on drug seizures.
The operation aligns with the government’s Vision Document on Narcotics Control for 2026–2029, which aims to dismantle drug networks and strengthen enforcement against transnational trafficking syndicates.
