NCB Busts International Drug Route in Cachar; Two Suppliers Held With Over 6 KG Heroin

In a major crackdown on cross-border narcotics trafficking along Myanmar-Assam-Manipur, authorities seized 6.15 kg of suspected heroin from Garmaghat in Hmarkhawlien, Lakhipur area of Cachar district, during a joint operation carried out by the 147th Battalion of the CRPF and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

Acting on a tip-off, the teams allegedly intercepted a boat on the Barak River, recovering the contraband packed inside 530 soap cases. Two suspected suppliers — Jacob Hmar and Akuu Melody Hmar — both residents of Lakhipur, were arrested. Lakhipur Police is now interrogating the duo.

NCB sources revealed that the arrest is linked to a broader crackdown on an international drug trafficking network operating across Myanmar–Manipur–Assam. Traffickers used riverine routes specifically to bypass urban surveillance, officials said, adding that the consignment was moved through dense forest corridors in Manipur before being ferried by small motorboats on the Barak River.

NCB officers had been tracking the movement of the illicit cargo based on specific intelligence gathered over an extended period. On December 1, NCB sleuths intercepted an indigenous motorboat near Lakhipur and apprehended the two accused.

During the search, officers recovered 6.149 kg of high-grade heroin, concealed beneath bamboo layers and packed inside soap cases. Officials estimate the value of this consignment alone at Rs. 12.5 crore in the illicit market.

The joint operation involved vital support from Cachar Police and highlights what officials describe as an emerging trafficking method that exploits vulnerable river routes to evade checkpoints and security camps.

The NCB has registered 14 NDPS cases in Assam this year, leading to 31 arrests. Over 88 kg of methamphetamine and 17 kg of heroin, together worth Rs. 105 crore, have been seized in 2025.