Mizoram: Assam Rifles seize 8,000 kg illegal areca nuts in Champhai

Assam Rifles, in collaboration with the Customs Preventive Force, successfully intercepted a large shipment of illegal areca nuts in Champhai district, Mizoram. The team recovered 8,000 kg of the contraband, valued at approximately Rs 56 lakh. The operation, based on specific intelligence, resulted in the seizure, and the consignment was handed over to Customs for further legal action.

This operation is part of Assam Rifles' ongoing efforts to curb illegal smuggling activities in the region. The force has been increasingly focused on targeting the kingpins behind the smuggling operations in Mizoram.

Earlier, Assam Rifles, working with the Excise and Narcotics Department, also seized 22 grams of heroin worth Rs 15.40 lakh in Champhai. The drug was found hidden in a woman’s bag, leading to the arrest of 40-year-old Tlangmawii. She, along with the heroin, was handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department for legal proceedings.

Additionally, a separate operation near Zokhawthar on Monday led to the seizure of 22.676 kg of methamphetamine tablets, valued at Rs 68.03 crore. The drugs were recovered after a suspect, who had crossed the Tiau River with a brown sack, abandoned the consignment upon being challenged.

The joint operation team pursued the suspect, who fled towards Myanmar. The methamphetamine was seized and handed over to the Police Department in Zokhawthar for further investigation.