In a major breakthrough against drug trafficking, security forces in Manipur’s Churachandpur district seized 5.016 kilograms of brown sugar, valued at Rs48.7 crore, on Sunday. The drug was discovered in 418 soap cases, hidden by a suspected peddler, Thianmuansiam Samte (32), from Gamgpimual village. Police officials arrested Samte following a tip-off, recovering a car and a mobile phone along with the contraband.
The drugs are believed to have been smuggled from Myanmar, entering India through Mizoram, which shares an unfenced border with both Myanmar and Manipur. Authorities suspect the drugs may have originated in Myanmar’s Chin state, a hotspot for trafficking narcotics, arms, and exotic wildlife through Mizoram districts like Champhai and Siaha.
Former Manipur Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh, lauded the police’s efforts, calling their actions “a step towards saving our future” by curbing the growing drug menace in the region. Despite strong security measures, drug trafficking remains rampant, contributing to the state’s ongoing ethnic tensions.
Myanmar’s proximity to India, with a 1,643 km shared border, continues to make the northeastern states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram, vulnerable to smuggling of methamphetamine and heroin, two of the most commonly trafficked drugs in the region.
Image Prompt: A police officer displaying confiscated brown sugar in soap cases, with security personnel in the background, possibly in Churachandpur district.
