A CORRESPONDENT
BOKAJAN: The Karbi Anglong police arrested a woman, the kingpin of an inter-State drug cartel based in Nagaland. Another person was also arrested, besides the seizure of 2.125 kg of fine quality heroin worth over Rs 7 crore. The police also seized a Maruti Alto car from their possession.
DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said, "The arrest and the seizure are the outcomes of a trap laid by the police. We're observing the activities of the drug cartel. When we came to know that the cartel was desperately in the search of customers, we sent out personnel with money incognito. And the two have been trapped."
The seized consignment has 164 packets containing 2.125 kg of fine quality heroin worth over Rs 4 crore in the black market. The arrested duo has been identified as 50-year-old kingpin Th Paone alias 'Didi' of Senapati district, Manipur and 23-year-old Kevin Movi of Dimapur, Nagaland.
Briefing the media, Pusparaj Singh, Superintendent of Police, Karbi Anglong said, "We learnt about 'Didi' while investigating a recent case about narcotics seizure under the Barpathar Police Station of Karbi Anglong district. John Das, SDPO Bokajan, followed the leads and found that 'Didi' is a major player in the narcotics trade based in Dimapur and she is alone responsible for over 60 per cent of all the illegal drug entering Assam through NH 36 and NH 39 in recent times. After days of effort, our team managed to obtain her phone number and she was under our surveillance."
"Recently, we learnt that 'Didi' was on the lookout for new customers as her former customer base eroded due to the persistent seizures and arrest made by the Karbi Anglong police. We took this as an opportunity and placed our source as a customer and a deal was fixed. She came to deliver the drugs and landed in our trap. It was a difficult task convincing her," the SP added.
The arrest of 'Didi's considered a breakthrough for the Karbi Anglong Police in disrupting the supply chain of this illegal narcotics trade. The NH-39 and NH-36 connecting Nagaland and Manipur with Assam are considered as the floodgate of this illegal narcotics trade and drug trafficking through these highways continued unaffected despite a regular crackdown by the Karbi Police. In the past couple of years, Karbi Anglong Police alone have seized heroin, opium, crystal meth, ganja and thousands of 'YABA', 'WIY' tablets worth over Rs 100 crore in the black market.
"Origin of these seized drugs can be traced to the infamous Golden Triangle bordering Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. These drugs are smuggled into India from Myanmar via Moreh in Manipur and some areas located strategically along the Indo-Burma border. These drugs then reach Imphal and are further smuggled in smaller quantities into different parts of the country through Nagaland and Assam," a police officer said.
While complimenting Assam Police on Twitter, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote, "In a big breakthrough, @assampolice has busted a big supply chain network with narco terror angle in Karbi Anglong. Over 2 kg pure heroin worth Rs 7 crore in the international market was seized. Compliments to Assam Police for relentlessly working on breaking the backbone of a drug cartel."