With a big anti-narcotics operation in Mizoram, Assam Rifles and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 15 kg of methamphetamine tablets worth around ₹45 crore and arrested three alleged drug peddlers, including a woman.
The big seizure was made after a joint team acted on specific intelligence inputs about the suspected transportation of a large consignment of drugs. Officers intercepted a Maruti Suzuki Eeco ambulance near Seling in the Aizawl district and seized methamphetamine tablets allegedly concealed inside the vehicle.
The ambulance was used as cover to carry out the illegal consignment and avoid suspicion, officials said during the journey. The woman who was travelling with the group, weirdly, was supposed to be a patient, they said.
Ambulance intercepted near Seling
The Assam Rifles-DRI team intercepted the ambulance near Sakei Bangla Restaurant at Seling after receiving intelligence of the suspected movement of narcotics.
When officers searched the vehicle, they found about 15 kg of methamphetamine tablets. The drugs seized in the illicit market are estimated to be about ₹45 crore.
The ambulance used to transport the suspected contraband was also seized by the authorities.
The three people in the car were arrested on suspicion of transporting and selling the drugs. The woman was arrested as a patient with a view to showing a genuine medical journey.
Suspects and seizure handed over to DRI
After that operation, the three arrested persons, the seized methamphetamine, and the ambulance were handed over to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Aizawl, for further investigations and legal proceedings.
The investigators will look for the source of the methamphetamine, where it was taken, and if the arrested individuals were part of a larger drug-trafficking network.
The authorities will also check the vehicle’s travel history and communication records. That information can also help detectives find other people who are apparently connected with the transportation and distribution network.
The seizure is a major blow to suspected narcotics trafficking in the region, especially given the high estimated value of the methamphetamine consignment.
Action under NDPS Act likely
The accused would probably face legal proceedings under provisions of the NDPS Act. Additional charges may be laid from the findings of the investigation and evidence collected by the DRI.
The officials have kept watch along the corridors of suspected narcotics traffickers. Mizoram is also in India’s northeast and joint enforcement will help fight off illegal drugs moving through the area.
The recent seizure shows how intelligence-based operations work to spot the intent to transport drugs with unusual means. The alleged use of an ambulance, along with a person posing as a patient, illustrates the lengths to which suspected trafficking networks could go to try to avoid law-enforcement scrutiny.
The DRI now handles the investigation of the ₹45 crore methamphetamine seizure in Aizawl. The arrested suspects will be interviewed, and more searches will be conducted if evidence points to other members of the alleged network.
With drugs, vehicle and suspects now in DRI custody, investigators will focus on uncovering the wider network behind the consignment and where the seized methamphetamine was intended to be delivered.
