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Police in India’s northeastern state of Mizoram have seized narcotics worth over ₹100 million ($1.2 million) in a sweeping month-long crackdown targeting cross-border trafficking from Myanmar.

 

The operation, dubbed “Operation Jericho,” began on 1 September in Champhai district, which borders Myanmar’s Chin State, and will run until the end of December. In its first phase, authorities confiscated more than 3 kilograms of heroin and nearly 75 kilograms of methamphetamine tablets, alongside other illicit substances. Nineteen cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, with 25 arrests made.

 

Officials say the campaign is a direct response to the rising flow of drugs into India from Myanmar, a key route within the notorious Golden Triangle — one of the world’s largest drug-producing regions. The crackdown also reflects growing concern over public drug use and its impact on community safety in border areas.

 

Champhai’s Excise and Narcotics Department reported additional seizures in September alone: 2.7 kilograms of heroin and 42 kilograms of methamphetamine, with 10 suspects arrested in eight separate cases.

 

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah recently underscored the urgency of anti-narcotics efforts, citing the country’s strategic position between the Golden Triangle and the Golden Crescent (Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran). He confirmed that India is constructing fencing along 1,643 kilometres of its border with Myanmar — spanning Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh — to curb drug trafficking, illegal trade and migration.

 

While the crackdown has drawn support from civil society groups like the Young Mizo Association, concerns are mounting among Myanmar refugees in Mizoram. Some fear the operation could fuel discrimination in employment, security checks and access to aid. A Myanmar national told Mizzima that recent biometric data collection has added to tensions, warning that locals may unfairly target refugees due to the drug issue.

 

From 2020 to August 2025, Mizoram recorded 351 drug-related deaths, including 78 linked to heroin use, according to state data — a stark reminder of the human cost behind the statistics.

 

As Operation Jericho continues, authorities face the challenge of balancing enforcement with compassion, especially in a region shaped by migration, conflict and fragile cross-border ties.

 

 

-2025-10-09

The Burmese generals have been famous for trafficking in drugs, illegal gemstones and of course human trafficking, and many of them have become dollar billionaires as a result. This regime and most past governments have been more corrupt than the extent of most people's imaginations.