Aizawl, February 18 Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma revealed on Wednesday a significant shift in drug trafficking patterns within the state, noting that intensified enforcement along traditional routes in the Champhai district has forced smugglers to seek alternative paths through the Saitual district.
During a discussion on the governor's address on Wednesday, the chief minister informed the Assembly that his government has been making massive efforts to curb drug trafficking and the smuggling of other contraband, including Burmese betel nuts, across the state border with Myanmar.
Six Mizoram districts – Champhai, Saitual, Lawngtlai, Siaha, Serchhip, and Hnahthial – share a 510-km long international border with Myanmar.
Lalduhoma said that the government has formed a core committee involving state and central agencies, including the Assam Rifles, Army, Border Security Force (BSF), and the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB), to accelerate drug combat efforts.
"We are now sharing intelligence across these agencies, which has significantly accelerated the pace and effectiveness of our operations," Lalduhoma said.
He said that the state government has also launched "Operation Jericho," a joint crackdown by the state government and the state's largest civil society organization, the Young Mizo Association (YMA), in September last year to curb drug trafficking.
Operations were launched in 20 border villages, which were highly effective in dismantling drug trafficking and local distribution networks, he said.
"As a result of the crackdown in east Mizoram's Champhai region, traditionally the primary entry point for narcotics, traffickers have been forced to divert their activities toward the Saitual district," Lalduhoma said, adding that the state Home Minister is currently overseeing strategic measures to "seal off" these emerging corridors.
Highlighting a landmark achievement in the state's war on drugs, he said that state police seized 15 kg of heroin at Saitual's Keifang last year, which was the largest single-point seizure of the substance in Mizoram's history.
Lalduhoma said that the central committee of YMA (CYMA) has activated its central anti-drug squads (CADS) and divided the state capital Aizawl into 10 tactical zones for rigorous monitoring.
"The intensified pressure on supply lines is reportedly yielding tangible results in the illicit market," he said.
According to the CM, the local price of heroin has reportedly been doubled due to extreme scarcity, and traffickers or peddlers are increasingly adulterating the drug to compensate for the lack of pure supply.
Governor Vijay Kumar Singh pointed out in his recent address that the state has executed a massive crackdown on cross-border smuggling and narcotics trafficking, with law enforcement agencies seizing drugs valued at Rs 1,047 crore during the 2025-26 fiscal.
He had also stated that the state's Excise and Narcotics Department has maintained a sustained offensive against the crisis, arresting 652 traffickers and seizing 487 kg of contraband drugs in the current financial year alone.