The probe centres on suspected trafficking of heroin, brown sugar and methamphetamine from Myanmar to Mizoram and Manipur for onward movement, with assets secured across three cases now exceeding ₹26 crore.
By PC Bureau | October 25, 2026
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested six people, frozen 1,424 bank accounts and provisionally attached a five-storey commercial building and adjoining land valued at ₹17.82 crore as part of a widening investigation into an alleged cross-border narcotics and hawala network operating across Mizoram and Manipur.
The action followed searches on October 23 at multiple locations in Aizawl, Champhai and Lawngtlai in Mizoram, and Churachandpur in Manipur. The searches formed part of three money-laundering investigations linked to the alleged trafficking of heroin, brown sugar and methamphetamine from Myanmar.
According to the agency, assets secured in the three cases now exceed ₹26 crore, including ₹8.19 crore previously frozen in bank accounts suspected of being used for narcotics-related hawala transactions.
The latest provisional attachment covers Hotel JTS, a five-storey commercial property and 571.11 square metres of land in Zion Veng, Champhai, valued at ₹17.82 crore.
The six arrests were made under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), with three accused each in Mizoram and Manipur.
In Mizoram, the ED arrested Kashyap G. Thakkar of Aizawl in the Krishiv Enterprise case, and Thangkhuala of Champhai and T. Chatuan Vanlalgakha of Aizawl in the case linked to Jabrul Haque.
In Manipur, Zenngaihniang alias Taniang, Nengzatuan Valte alias Tuanpi and H. Gouzalal, all residents of Churachandpur, were arrested over the alleged laundering of proceeds from brown sugar trafficking. Taniang and Tuanpi were already in judicial custody in narcotics cases and were formally arrested with permission from the Special Judge, NDPS, Churachandpur.
All six accused are being produced before the respective special courts.
ED conducted coordinated PMLA searches on 23.10.2026 across Mizoram and Manipur in three money-laundering cases linked to cross-border drug trafficking from Myanmar and narco-hawala operations, in coordination with NCB and Mizoram Police.
ED froze 1,424 bank accounts, provisionally attached properties worth ₹17.82 crore, taking total assets secured to over ₹26 crore, and arrested six accused. Arrest proceedings against four more accused are underway.— ED (@dir_ed) October 25, 2026
The searches were conducted in coordination with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Mizoram Police. Investigators seized ledgers, cheque books, debit cards, mobile phones and other digital devices suspected of containing evidence of financial transactions.
READ: Manipur: Where Imphal’s Street Power Has the Last Word in
Investigators trace alleged drug-money network
The ED said its investigations had uncovered an interconnected financial network in which bank accounts in Champhai, Aizawl and Lawngtlai allegedly received money generated from drug sales across Manipur, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura. The funds were then reportedly routed through banking channels and hawala operators to settle payments with suppliers in Myanmar.
One entity under scrutiny is M/s Go Alpha Trip, a Mini-ATM and money-transfer outlet in Churachandpur operated by H. Gouzalal. Between 2024 and June 2026, the outlet reportedly processed 2,947 transfers totalling ₹175.03 crore to traders, pharmacies and individuals in Mizoram.
According to the ED, cash allegedly generated through narcotics sales was deposited through Mini-ATM and Customer Service Point counters before being transferred through bank accounts. Some account holders are suspected of allowing others to use their accounts in return for commissions of ₹500 per lakh.
Investigators are examining whether these accounts were used to disguise the origin of the money and complicate the tracking of transactions.
The probe has also identified substantial transactions involving suspected unlicensed rupee-kyat exchangers in Champhai. Accounts linked to Lalrampari and her husband, Lalliansanga, proprietor of M/s JTS Store, reportedly recorded credits of around ₹268.80 crore, including ₹125 crore in cash deposits originating from Assam, Nagaland, West Bengal, Tripura and Delhi.
The ED suspects that proceeds from drug sales in different parts of India were routed through a combination of bank accounts and hawala operators before reaching Myanmar-based suppliers. The allegations remain under investigation.
Modi Govt deals another lethal blow against drugs with Operation Trident.
Our agencies launched a barrage of simultaneous crackdowns across 38 locations in Assam, Mizoram and Manipur on 23 October, smashing an international narco-cartel. The operation revealed ₹100 crore worth of hawala transactions, froze 1,424 bank accounts, attached properties worth ₹17.82 crore, seized 500 detonators and ₹12 lakh in cash, and led to the arrest of 18 people.
The network trafficked narcotics across the borders of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh through the Death Triangle Corridor. The offensive attests to India’s Himalayan resolve to realise the mission of eradicating every drug network by 31 December 2029. India will hammer until the last nail is driven into the coffin of drug cartels.
Heartiest congratulations to the anti-narcotics team comprising central agencies, and police forces of the three states.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 25, 2026
Chemical consignments under the ED scrutiny
Investigators are also examining suspected links between chemical consignments dispatched from India and methamphetamine production in Myanmar.
Between March and November 2024, M/s Krishiv Enterprises allegedly dispatched around 32 tonnes of caffeine anhydrous in 15 consignments, along with 10 tonnes of aluminium chloride anhydrous. The shipments were documented through e-way bills and GST invoices and sent to small retail pharmacies and a general store in Aizawl and border areas of Mizoram.
The ED alleges that the recipients lacked the manufacturing or processing facilities needed to handle the chemicals for industrial production. Investigators suspect the consignments were subsequently transported across the border to tablet-pressing units in Myanmar.
Caffeine anhydrous is suspected of having been used as a bulking agent in the manufacture of methamphetamine tablets commonly known as Yaba. The alleged role of the consignments and their recipients is being investigated.
The ED believes finished narcotics entered Mizoram through the Tiau River crossing near Zokhawthar, opposite Khawmawi in Myanmar, before moving through Champhai and Aizawl towards Vairengte and the Assam-Tripura border areas.
Three narcotics seizures underpin the ED probe
The money-laundering investigations originate from three cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
On March 14, 2025, Zokhawthar Police in Champhai seized 4.722 kg of heroin packed in 440 soap cases. The consignment was allegedly destined for Aizawl on behalf of a Myanmar-based supplier.
On August 21, 2025, the Narcotics Control Bureau recovered 49.101 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 40 grams of heroin near Seling in Mizoram. Investigators alleged that the consignment originated in Myanmar and was intended for delivery near the Damchhera-Kanhmun border.
In the third case, Churachandpur Police seized 2.413 kg of brown sugar and ₹31.43 lakh in cash on July 2, 2026. The ED alleges that the cash represented proceeds from drug sales intended for suppliers in Myanmar.
Further investigation is under way to identify additional beneficiaries, trace suspected proceeds of crime and establish the possible involvement of bank officials and money-transfer operators.
The probe is examining not only the movement of narcotics across the India-Myanmar border but also the financial channels allegedly used to convert drug proceeds into cross-border payments. The ED’s findings and allegations will be subject to the ongoing investigation and judicial proceedings.
Comments 1