Aizawl, August 8: Security agencies in Mizoram have uncovered a significant drug trafficking operation disguised as an ambulance service. A joint team from the Assam Rifles and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized approximately 15 kilograms of methamphetamine tablets, valued at an estimated 45 crore rupees in the international illegal market. Three traffickers, including a woman, have been arrested in connection with this case.
Officials reported that the operation took place in the Seleng area of Aizawl district, where a Maruti Suzuki Eco ambulance was stopped for inspection. A substantial quantity of methamphetamine tablets was discovered during the search. Initial investigations revealed that the traffickers used the ambulance to avoid suspicion, with a woman posing as a patient inside the vehicle.
This operation was based on specific intelligence. The joint team halted the ambulance near the Sakhei Bangla restaurant in Seleng for a thorough search, leading to the recovery of the drug stash. Following the seizure, all three suspects were arrested, and the ambulance was confiscated.
The recovered narcotics, the arrested individuals, and the seized vehicle have been handed over to the DRI in Aizawl for further investigation and legal action. Authorities indicated that a case would be filed against the suspects under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Officials noted that Mizoram is becoming a major transit corridor for synthetic drug trafficking due to its international border with Myanmar. The state is particularly vulnerable to the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and other prohibited items, given its 510-kilometer unfenced border with Myanmar and a 318-kilometer border with Bangladesh.
Security agencies stated that the use of emergency vehicles like ambulances for drug trafficking reflects the evolving and increasingly organized tactics of smuggling rings. The investigation is ongoing to determine the source of this shipment, its intended destination, and the identities of other individuals involved in the network.
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