50,000 Yaba Tablets, Worth Rs 2.5 Crore, Seized In Assam

In a major anti-narcotic operation, Assam police seized 50,000 Yaba tablets in Assam's South Salmara Mankachar district on Monday. Yaba tablets, according to the US Department of Justice, are a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine.

According to reports, one Ashique Babu (26) was arrested for carrying a large consignment of Yaba tablets in a Night Super Bus (AS-01 TC-0375) en route from the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) Guwahati to Mankachar.

These drugs were smuggled into India from Myanmar via Manipur, and Assam is a transit, according to police sources. These were then sent to Mankachar, which is a traditional smuggling route on the India-Bangladesh border.

"A special naka checking was set up at Sonapur, after getting information regarding the movement of Yaba tablets. During checking, the Yaba tablets were seized from the bus," said a police official.

The estimated market value of the seized Yaba tablets is Rs 2.5 crores.

"The Yaba tablets found in five black plastic wraps inside the backpack. The Yaba tablets weigh 5894 grams," said police.

Preliminary investigation reveals that the consignment originated from Manipur, routed via Guwahati, handed over to the apprehended in ISBT and is suspected to be distributed in the border areas of Mankachar, parts of Meghalaya, and smuggled to Bangladesh.

An FIR under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered at the Mankachar police station.