11 kg of Heroin valued at Rs 5 crore seized

IMPHAL, May 8: In one of the biggest haul of narcotic seizure made in transit, at least 11 kg of Heroin having a net worth value of Rs 5 crore was seized from a  smuggler from Manipur. The arrest was made on May 1 at Peducha police checkpost gate along NH 2 , which is about 3 kms from Kohima town.

The arrested individual is identified as one Md Abdul Gaffar, 47, s/o Md Abdul Karim of Lillong Yangbi Leikai under Lillong PS of Thoubal district.

When IFP inquired with the Lillong OC, Inspector SM Hussian Ahmed over the identity of the arrested person, he confirmed that the person involved is a resident of the area and conducts small time trade from Myanmar. The accused is married to a woman from Uripok and is presently in the custody of Nagaland Police.  The seized items have been sent to the Guwahati forensic science lab for testing.

According to Kohima police, the preliminary chemical colour test revealed the seized matter could be heroin but the same is yet to be verified by a forensic report which is still awaited.

If verified and tested positive, this seizure would be one of the biggest haul in the state so far. Further investigation into the case is still on.

Kohima SDPO Shouka Kakheto said based on preliminary investigation, Md. Abdul Galfar received the consignment in Dimapur from a man hailing from Manipur to be taken to Imphal.

The seized powder was to be further smuggled out of the country to destinations like Myanmar. He said Galfar was the “human carrier” of the seized lot of suspected heroin.

One kg of heroin is worth Rs. One crore in the international market and good quality heroin could fetch upto four crores in the international market for every kg.

It may be mentioned that many pharmaceutical drugs and allied chemicals containing pseudo-ephedrine have also been seized in recent times, even from security personnel.

According to sources, the same drugs were to be smuggled to neighboring countries for further processing and refining into drugs like heroin.

IFP sources however mentioned that the drugs may be pseudo-ephedrine tablets in crushed powder as another new strategy to avoid narcotic sleuths.

Meanwhile, Dimapur police along with 14 IR personnel Monday seized banned psychotropic drugs (44,000 Spasmo Proxyvon capsules and 10,000 Nitrosun tablets) from the possession of three Manipur bound passengers of a Tata Winger.

According to Dimapur police, the three has been identified as Md. Inaocha (28), son of Md. Hei, Md. Shamir (26), son of Aslam Khan and Md. Yonus (18), son of Shonba Yonus, all hailing from Imphal East district of Manipur.

They have been taken into custody and a case has been registered under the NDPS Act and Drugs & Cosmetics Act.

State superintendent of excise, Kevisetuo Angami  has recently stated that drug smugglers caught carrying banned pharmaceutical drugs should be booked under Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940, with the department started to book the accused under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 as those drugs contained pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (PH) used for making hard drugs.

He disclosed that large quantities of PH drugs were being smuggled into Myanmar from India and were then smuggled back to India in the form of heroin and other party drugs which are used by youth in parties as rave drugs, agencies mentioned.