Drug Smuggling Racket: DRI Recovers 50 Kg Methamphetamine, 4 Held

New Delhi, October 30: Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have recovered 50 kilograms of methamphetamine from two separate locations in Mizoram and Assam, arresting four people in a case linked to international narcotics trafficking.

Of the total quantity, 30 kilograms consisted of methamphetamine tablets (yaba) and 20 kilograms were crystal methamphetamine. Apart from the four arrests under the NDPS Act, 1985, three vehicles involved in the trafficking have been seized.

The DRI said it had received specific intelligence that drug consignments were being transported from Zokhawthar to Aizawl and Silchar. On October 29, 2026, with Assam Rifles support, its officers stopped a Mahindra Bolero Camper on the Aizawl-Champhai Road near the outskirts of Aizawl.

During a close examination of the vehicle, investigators discovered 30 brick-shaped packets of pink and orange tablets inside a secret compartment built into an office table. The packets weighed 30 kilograms in total.

The agency observed that hiding drugs within furniture is an emerging strategy used by traffickers. Such vehicles can appear to be carrying regular domestic or office goods, which helps in misleading enforcement agencies.

The next day, on October 30, the DRI conducted another operation based on fresh inputs. With help from Assam Rifles, officers intercepted an Ashok Leyland truck and a Bolero Camper at Dholai, about 40 kilometres from Silchar.

During the truck search, 20 packets of crystal methamphetamine were found concealed above the driver's cabin, totalling 20 kilograms. Traffickers had packed these packets in tea packets carrying foreign markings to avoid suspicion.

A preliminary test conducted at the spot confirmed that the seized material contains amphetamine.

The DRI's early findings suggest that the narcotics were smuggled into India from Myanmar.

The seizure follows two earlier large recoveries of methamphetamine in the northeast, weighing 232 kilograms and 56 kilograms.

According to officials, the probe is continuing and investigators are attempting to identify additional people connected to this cross-border trafficking network.