Agartala, Feb 16: In a major anti-narcotics crackdown, the Assam Rifles, in joint operations with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), seized methamphetamine tablets worth over ₹45 crore in Tripura and recovered foreign-made cigarettes valued at ₹2.9 crore in Manipur, officials said on Monday.

Acting on specific intelligence, security personnel intercepted a truck at Mungiakami in Khowai district of Tripura and conducted a detailed search. Approximately 4.5 lakh methamphetamine tablets—popularly known as Yaba or party tablets—were recovered. The tablets, a banned combination of methamphetamine and caffeine, are highly addictive and widely trafficked in the region.

One person, identified as Hafijul Hoque (42) from Udalguri district of Assam, was apprehended in connection with the seizure. The recovered contraband and the accused have been handed over to the DRI for further investigation and legal proceedings.

In a separate operation in Manipur, Assam Rifles set up a mobile vehicle check post in Noney district following intelligence inputs about cigarette smuggling. A truck travelling from Churachandpur to Kangpokpi was intercepted, leading to the recovery of 88 cartons of foreign-made cigarettes worth ₹2.9 crore. Two individuals were arrested in that case, and the seized goods were handed over to the DRI.

Officials suspect the contraband items were smuggled from Myanmar, which shares a 1,643-km unfenced border with four northeastern states—Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram—and is considered a key transit route for heroin and methamphetamine entering India.

Authorities said the coordinated operations reflect sustained efforts to dismantle cross-border smuggling networks and curb the growing menace of narcotics in the Northeast.