Silchar: Cachar police and Assam Rifles have seized 10,000 Yaba tablets and 21g of heroin from a mechanised boat intercepted near Lakhipur in southern Assam and arrested two suspected peddlers, officials said on Saturday.The joint operation has exposed the Barak river route as a fresh corridor for narcotics trafficking.The accused were identified as Jame El Malsam and Kenyorjor. The operation was carried out under the Lakhipur police station area after security personnel intercepted the engine-powered boat moving along the Barak river on Friday evening.Talking to the media, DSP (Cachar) Dilraj Pathak said the heroin was concealed in two soap cases and weighed around 21g. Besides the narcotics, police also seized three mobile phones and the boat used for transportation.The estimated market value of the seized contraband is several crores of rupees.Pathak said the operation was part of an intensified crackdown against drug trafficking networks operating in the district and adjoining areas. He added that the two arrested persons are being interrogated to ascertain whether a larger inter-state or cross-border smuggling network is involved.Investigators suspect that riverine routes along the Barak are increasingly being used by traffickers to evade highway checks and security surveillance.
