No alternate drug route post-crisis: AR DG
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, July 03 2025:
Director General of Assam Rifles Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera has dismissed claims of an alternate drug trafficking route emerging in the Northeast following the Manipur crisis, asserting that Assam Rifles remains at the forefront of anti-narcotics operations.
He said that there was no concrete evidence yet to suggest a significant shift in drug routes despite increasing attempts by smugglers to explore new channels.
"In the past one month alone, drugs worth nearly Rs 400 crore have been seized in Manipur.
Our operations in Mizoram have also led to significant contraband seizures," Lakhera stated in an exclusive interview with Northeast Live.
He emphasised that Assam Rifles, along with state police in Manipur and Mizoram and other agencies, have intensified their coordination to intercept cross border drug consignments.
"There is currently no evidence of any major alternate routes being established," he reiterated.
However, this assertion appears to contradict ground-level assessments and reports from other agencies and civil society bodies, which suggest an evolving and expanding narco-trafficking landscape in the region post the May 2023 ethnic conflict in Manipur.
An earlier The Hindu report cited a dramatic shift in drug trafficking from the earlier Moreh-Tamu corridor to alternative routes via Mizoram.
The Hindu reported cited officials saying nearly 90 per cent of drug consignments that would earlier pass through Manipur are now diverted through the Zokhawthar area of Mizoram.
A new 10-km "jeepable road" built in Myanmar near Dawn, connecting to Mizoram's Serchhip district and serviced from Thlantlang in Chin State, has reportedly become a preferred smuggling path, the report added.
The report also highlighted growing concerns over the volume of methamphetamine pills and heroin entering India, with Mizoram becoming a new focal point.
From January to October 2023, the Assam Rifles themselves recovered narcotics worth Rs 911 crore, arresting 131 Indians and 58 Myanmar nationals.
These figures indicate the increasing pressure on Mizoram's porous and poorly monitored border with Myanmar.
Adding weight to these concerns, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (CO-COMI) had issued an urgent memorandum to the chief ministers of all eight Northeastern states, demanding that the region be declared a "Narco-Terrorist Emergency Zone" .
The committee's warning stems from what it calls a dangerous convergence of drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and the alleged collusion of powerful actors in both India and Myanmar.
The COCOMI memorandum, citing exclusive reports from Newsl8 and The People's Chronicle, referred to the discovery of a large underground tunnel along the Myanmar-Mizoram border, believed to be used for drug smuggling.
Security agencies refuted the presence of such tunnel.
COCOMI, citing media reports, claimed that the tunnel is large enough for heavy vehicles and points to what it sees as systematic, organised trafficking operations, potentially supported by external forces.
The memorandum also expressed alarm over the alleged involvement of influential individuals in Mizoram and Chin State in drug networks, along with a purported ideological agenda to create a "Christian State" or "Zo-land" across parts of India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.
COCOMI's data on drug seizures further painted a dire picture.
Between March 2022 and May 2023, Manipur alone accounted for narcotics seizures worth Rs 1,672 crore, with over 764 arrests under the NDPS Act.
In Mizoram, drugs valued at Rs 355 crore were seized between April 2024 and January 2025, while Assam recorded seizures worth Rs 682 crore in 2023, including large quantities of heroin, ganja, and psychotropic tablets.
DG Lakhera, while strongly defending the neutrality and credibility of Assam Rifles, also said that the force is often unfairly targeted by "vested interests" seeking to distort public perception.
"A large number of our personnel come from the Northeast, from all tribes and regions.
We remain neutral and committed to peace, prosperity, and the sanctity of the Indo-Myanmar border," he said.
The general officer affirmed that the force's loyalty lies with the nation and the people of the region.
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