- New drug trafficking route found from Myanmar via Arunachal Pradesh to Assam's Tinsukia district
- Assam seized drugs worth around Rs 80 crore destined for Punjab in recent crackdown efforts
- Drug traffickers now avoid Moreh route, opting for Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district pathway
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.
Speaking to media, Sarma said, "Earlier, drugs had been coming from Myanmar to the Moreh, Manipur route. But now a new route has emerged from Myanmar through Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district to Tinsukia. The drug peddlers who were recently arrested revealed the new route of drug trade."
Sarma said the development was a "very worrying signal" for Upper Assam and underlined the need for sustained enforcement along the emerging corridor.
Sarma informed that the state has intensified its crackdown on narcotics and seized significant quantities of drugs in recent weeks.
"We have recently seized around Rs 80 crore worth of drugs which were ready to transport to Punjab. It's one of the big consignments of drugs seized by the department. 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. 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."
Myanmar is the world's largest producer of illicit opium and has been a significant cog in the transnational drug trade since World War II.
According to the UNODC, it was estimated that in 2005 opium was cultivated in an area of 430 km2 (167 sq mi) in Myanmar. 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.
The Golden Triangle is a remote border region where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet, historically known as one of the world's largest hubs for illicit opium and heroin production.
"The drugs which were produced mostly in the drug factories in Myanmar were trafficked in India through Arunachal Pradesh because it shares a border with Myanmar. Now, Changlang has emerged as one of the routes from where the drugs entered India," said an official.
Recently, the Arunachal Pradesh government started a massive crackdown against illicit drugs and arrested many peddlers who were directly involved in the trade.
The historic Stilwell Road (connecting Assam, Myanmar, and China) has long faced concerns regarding its potential use for unlawful activities, including cross-border drug trafficking and criminal movement, due to the remote, rugged, and porous terrain it traverses. Experts said that that route was earlier used for drug trafficking and other criminal activities.
