Drugs valued at Rs.1 crore seized in Mizoram

Mizoram authorities have seized drugs valued at Rs.1 crore in the state capital and Melbuk village that were smuggled in from Myanmar, an official said Friday.

At least five people, four of them Myanmarese nationals, have been arrested.

"The Special Narcotics Cell of the Mizoram Police seized heroin valued at Rs.3.14 lakh in Aizawl yesterday (Thursday) night. Two Myanmarese - Vannuampuii, 27 and Lalbiaksanga, 25 - were arrested," a police spokesman told reporters.

Heroin valued at Rs.50,000 was also seized here Wednesday and a 20-year-old Mizo youth was arrested.

In the third incident, officials of the customs and directorate of revenue intelligence seized 10,000 tablets of methamphetamine from Melbuk village along the Mizoram-Myanmar border on Wednesday. The methamphetamine tablets are used as a stimulant.

Popular among the Mizo youth as 'Meth' or 'party drug', methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that seriously affects the human nervous system.

Two Myanmar citizens - Lalruaipuii, 26 and Lalnunpuia Bawitlung, 45 - were arrested in this connection.

The authorities estimated that the seized drugs would be valued at about Rs.1 crore.

Drug smuggling from Myanmar is rampant in Mizoram, which shares an unfenced 404-km border with Myanmar and a 318-km border with Bangladesh.

The mountainous terrain and dense forests make the border porous and vulnerable to smugglers, illegal immigrants and intruders crossing over.