New Delhi, Aug 28: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 76 kg of suspected methamphetamine tablets in two intelligence-led operations in Assam and Mizoram and arrested two people under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
In the latest operation on August 25, DRI officers, assisted by personnel of the 38th Battalion of Assam Rifles, intercepted a 12-wheeler truck at Lalpani, around 40 km from Silchar near the Assam-Manipur border.
The truck was identified from a convoy of vehicles travelling from Jiribam in Manipur. During a detailed search, officers found a specially fabricated concealed cavity behind the driver’s seat containing 36 packets weighing 1 kg each and 100 smaller packets weighing 200 grams each.
The packets contained pinkish-orange tablets suspected to be methamphetamine. Preliminary tests using a field detection kit indicated the presence of amphetamine.
The 56 kg of suspected contraband and the truck were seized under the NDPS Act, and the occupant of the vehicle was arrested.
In a separate operation on August 18, DRI officers intercepted a car on the Aizawl-Champhai Road at Bung Bangla, around 30 km from Aizawl.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 64 packets containing 20 kg of suspected methamphetamine tablets. The drugs had been concealed in specially designed cavities in the rocker panels or side sills on both sides of the car and in the space between the fuel tank and the floor.
Field tests indicated the presence of amphetamine. Preliminary investigation suggested that the drugs had been smuggled from Myanmar into Mizoram through the Zokhawthar-Champhai sector. The 20 kg consignment and the vehicle were seized, and the driver was arrested.
The DRI said methamphetamine is a potent synthetic psychostimulant with a high potential for abuse and dependence. Its illicit use can cause serious physical and psychological effects, including cardiovascular complications, agitation, paranoia and psychosis.
Methamphetamine is classified as a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act, under which its illicit manufacture, possession, transportation and trafficking attract stringent penalties.
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