Mizoram - Against drug trafficking

Mizoram, the 23rd State of the Indian Union has 284 km long inter-state border; and shares two long international borders, one with Myanmar (404 Kms) and with Bangladesh (318 Kms.). Being adjacent to the “Golden Triangle” Mizoram is one of the drug trafficking routes from the Golden Triangle to India and elsewhere. The proximity with Myanmar, through which narcotics from the infamous Golden Triangle are smuggled, also makes Mizoram a target for Narco-terrorists who combine drug trafficking and gun running.

Perched on the hills of the North eastern region and flanked by Bangladesh on the West and Myanmar on the East and South, Mizoram occupies an important strategic position, having a long international boundary of 722 kms. The 20 kms of free movement zone on both sides of Mizoram and Myanmar has aggravated the problem. Presently the drug traffickers of Golden Triangle regard the routes of Mandalay-Thand-Tiddim-Aizawl-Silchar as safe conduits to the prospective national and international markets.

Mizoram finds a place on the drug trafficking map because of its proximity to the Golden Triangle — the trijunction of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos — which accounts for over 60 per cent of the narcotics traded across the world. Mizoram has 404 km-long porous border with Myanmar, through which conduits regularly smuggle in finished drugs and drug-manufacturing products. Most of the drugs smuggled into the state found its way to Europe, the US and other major cities of India. Even the NCB sources stated that drug-manufacturing products such as acetic anhydride and ephedrine hydrochloride were being smuggled into Myanmar from India to process heroin, amphetamine tablets and the like. These drugs are later smuggled out to western countries through India.

Most of the drugs being smuggled across Indo-Myanmar border are Heroin (Diacetylmorphine), Ganja, Opium and different kinds of amphetamines.