Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the emergence of a new drug trafficking corridor from Myanmar through Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district to Tinsukia in Assam has been a matter of grave concern for upper Assam.
The drug peddlers who were recently arrested revealed the new route of drug trade. But now a new route has emerged from Myanmar through Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district to Tinsukia. It’s one of the big consignments of drugs seized by the department. Let this be a clear warning: routes may change, but our resolve will not. We will hunt down every drug network and strike hard wherever they operate. Opium and heroin base produced in northeastern Myanmar are transported by horse and donkey caravans to refineries along the Thailand-Burma border for conversion to heroin and heroin base.
“We have recently seized around Rs 80 crore worth of drugs which were ready to transport to Punjab. It was estimated that in 2005 opium was cultivated in an area of 430 km2 (167 sq mi) in Myanmar, according to the UNODC.
Speaking to media, Sarma said, “Earlier, drugs had been coming from Myanmar to the Moreh, Manipur route. Sarma said the development was a “very worrying signal” for Upper Assam and underlined the need for sustained enforcement along the emerging corridor. The drug menace has been increasing on a daily basis,” Sarma said. Sharing on X, Sarma said, “Wary of our relentless crackdown on drugs, the mafia is now attempting a new route from Myanmar through Arunachal Pradesh.
