Mizoram: Drugs worth over Rs 846 crore seized, 930 arrested in eight months

Aizawl, September 30 (IANS): Security forces, including the Mizoram Police, have seized various drugs, including highly addictive methamphetamine tablets and heroin, worth over Rs 846 crore and arrested 930 drug peddlers in the state between January and August this year, officials said on Wednesday.

A senior Home Department official said that of the 930 people arrested during the first eight months of this year in connection with drug-related cases, 111 were foreigners, mostly Myanmar nationals.

He said a total of 635 cases were registered during the January-August period under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

According to the official, 45 people, including seven women, died in Mizoram due to drug consumption till August this year. In 2025, 118 people, including 18 women, died due to drug consumption in the state, he said.

The official said the state government and security agencies have intensified their efforts to curb drug trafficking and consumption, particularly along the international border with Myanmar.

Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga, while addressing a drugs-related awareness campaign in Aizawl, said that the state recently renewed the pledge to safeguard the state and its people from the menace of drugs.

Describing Mizoram as a 'gateway of drugs', he highlighted the severe suffering inflicted on many young people and stressed the need for collective action involving enforcement agencies, NGOs and churches.

The Home Minister said that beyond targeting drug peddlers and carriers alone, all those associated with the trade must also be thoroughly investigated and dealt with. He called upon all stakeholders to give their best efforts starting today to ensure effective implementation of the State Action Plan, which was formally launched by Mizoram Governor General (Dr) Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd) on Monday.

Special emphasis, he noted, would be placed on intensifying operations along the borders to curb the inflow of drugs.

While underscoring the need for strict legal action against drug offenders, Sapdanga also emphasised that those struggling with addiction must be approached with compassion and care so they can return to normal life.

He further stressed the importance of intensifying drug awareness campaigns in educational institutions to protect the youth.

The Minister praised the people of Tlangmawi village for their unity and courage in striving to make their village drug-free, describing their effort as an inspiring message for the entire state and a pure challenge to others.

He called upon the youth to recommit themselves so that drugs do not destroy their future, urged parents to remain vigilant over their children, and appealed to NGOs, churches and community leaders to work together with unity in the fight against drugs.

Mizoram and Manipur have emerged as major drug-trafficking corridors in the Northeast because of their long and porous international borders with Myanmar and their proximity to the Golden Triangle, one of the world's major illicit narcotics-producing regions.

Six districts of Mizoram and five districts of Manipur share around 910 km of unfenced international border with Myanmar.