Assam Rifles recovered a major consignment of smuggled goods valued at about ₹1 crore during a targeted search operation near the Myanmar border. The raid in the Farlui Road area of Ruantlang, Champhai district, led to the seizure of 90 bags of poppy seeds and 120 bags of areca nuts, allegedly trafficked from Myanmar.

Officials handed the contraband to the Customs Preventive Force, Champhai, for investigation. A defence spokesperson stated that the operation reflects the border force’s zero-tolerance stance against illegal trade.

Authorities say poppy cultivation fuels opium trafficking, with one kilogram fetching ₹4–5 lakh on the black market. Smuggling of Burmese areca nuts has similarly harmed local growers in Assam and Tripura, triggering multiple protests.

Champhai and neighboring border districts share a 510 km frontier with Myanmar’s Chin State, known for cross-border trafficking. Assam and Manipur security forces frequently destroy illegal poppy fields under the “War on Drugs” campaign. Officials have also connected Manipur’s ethnic unrest to illegal immigrants involved in poppy farming. Myanmar’s 1,643 km unfenced border with Northeast India remains a conduit for narcotics like heroin and methamphetamine.