Police said the crystal meth was smuggled from Myanmar and was being transported to Guwahati for distribution when the accused was intercepted by the CID Special Branch.
BY PC Bureau
March 14, 2026: In a major crackdown on cross-border drug trafficking, Mizoram Police arrested a 50-year-old man and seized about 10.369 kg of crystal methamphetamine valued at more than Rs 8.29 crore in the international market.
The arrested man, identified as Tongbram Priyobarta Singh, a Meitei from Manipur, is currently residing in Hastal village in Uttam Nagar, West Delhi.
He was apprehended by a team of the CID Special Branch in Chaltlang, in north Aizawl, late on Thursday following specific intelligence inputs. The arrest took place around 10:48 pm on March 12 during a targeted operation.
According to reports quoting IGP H Ramthlengliana, the state police department’s Chief Public Relations Officer, the crystalised methamphetamine was recovered during the raid. During interrogation, Singh allegedly revealed that the contraband had been smuggled from Myanmar and was being transported to Guwahati in Assam for distribution.
The case highlights the continued use of the India-Myanmar border as a major route for narcotics trafficking into India’s northeastern states. Synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine are widely produced in conflict-affected regions of Myanmar and trafficked across the porous border.
Mizoram shares a 510-km unfenced border with Myanmar, making the region particularly vulnerable to smuggling networks.
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The latest seizure comes amid a series of similar drug busts in the state. On February 21, Mizoram Police in Champhai district seized over 10 kg of crystal meth and heroin worth Rs 31 crore, arresting a Myanmar national in that case.
Authorities have registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and further investigations are underway to identify possible accomplices and trace the exact smuggling route.
Security forces, including Assam Rifles, have also stepped up patrols along the border in recent months. In a related operation last month, Assam Rifles seized methamphetamine tablets in Lawngtlai district and arrested four suspects, including Myanmar nationals.
Officials say dismantling drug production networks in the Golden Triangle region remains critical to tackling the wider problem of transnational narcotics trafficking.
