Methamphetamine Smuggling Soars in Northeast India: A Growing Threat

Seizures of methamphetamine have surged in India's northeastern states, particularly Assam and Mizoram, with the DRI confiscating 123 kg in a six-month period. The smuggling route exploits porous borders and involves mid-sea transfers to Sri Lanka. 'Yaba' tablets, combining methamphetamine and caffeine, are also proliferating.

The seizure of the narcotic drug methamphetamine has surged in the northeastern Indian states of Assam and Mizoram this year, with 123 kg confiscated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) between April and September.

Methamphetamine, widely known as 'ice' or 'crystal meth,' presents a significant challenge to Indian law enforcement due to smuggling through porous northeastern borders.

The DRI report highlights illegal trafficking via sea routes in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, with drugs reaching coastal hamlets like Rameswaram, Tuticorin, and Nagapattinam. From there, they're transferred mid-sea using Indian fishing boats, then smuggled to Sri Lanka.

(With inputs from agencies.)