3-State Drug Raids Expose Rs 100-Cr Hawala Trail; 18 Held
Mizoram and Manipur led to the arrest of 18 persons and freezing of 1,424 bank accounts: Reports
NEW DELHI: Simultaneous raids across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur led to the arrest of 18 persons and freezing of 1,424 bank accounts, exposing hawala transactions worth Rs 100 crore linked to an international drug cartel headed by a Myanmar-based kingpin arrested earlier this year, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Sunday.
The October 23 crackdown, codenamed Operation Trident, also resulted in the attachment of properties worth Rs 17.82 crore and seizure of 500 detonators and Rs 12 lakh in cash.
In a post on X, Shah said the operation targeted a narcotics network trafficking drugs between India, Myanmar and Bangladesh through what he described as the "Death Triangle Corridor".
The cartel was allegedly headed by Myanmar-based drug kingpin Thangcintuang alias Chintuang alias Tluanga, who was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Delhi earlier this year.
The network allegedly smuggled methamphetamine and heroin through Myanmar, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Tripura into mainland India and Bangladesh.
Officials said 38 NCB teams, working in coordination with Mizoram police and the Enforcement Directorate, simultaneously raided 38 locations following extensive intelligence gathering and financial investigations.
The raids covered Aizawl, Champhai and Zokhawthar in Mizoram, Churachandpur in Manipur and the Cachar corridor in Assam.
Investigators said financial profiling and digital forensic analysis had uncovered a network of hawala operators, suspected shell entities and money mules facilitating the drug trade.
Shah congratulated the participating agencies and reiterated the Centre's resolve to eradicate drug networks by December 31, 2029.
"India will hammer until the last nail is driven into the coffin of drug cartels," he said.
