Imphal, June 10 - A joint team of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Customs, Assam Rifles and Manipur Police has seized drugs and cash worth Rs 55.52 crore during an operation in Churachandpur district. “A special operation under the code name ‘Operation White Whale’ was conducted by a joint team of DRI, Customs, Assam Rifles and Manipur Police in the border areas of Churachandpur district of Manipur from June 5-7,” an official statement said.
Meanwhile, on the morning of June 6, two suspects in a vehicle were chased in Behiang village bordering Myanmar and were seen moving towards a residential house at Thadou Weng in Singangat sub-division. During the search of the house, 219 soap boxes containing heroin, eight packages containing opium and 8 small tin cans were recovered, two walkie-talkies and cash worth Rs 7,58,050 were recovered.
The statement said that one person was arrested from the house, while two others were stopped while fleeing at the Bualkot check gate. Subsequently, a search was conducted at the residential house of an accused located in Behiang village and two packages containing opium and cash worth Rs 28,05,000 were seized.
According to the statement, “The joint team seized 7,755.75 grams of heroin worth Rs 54.29 crore and 6,736 grams of opium worth Rs 87.57 lakh from the international grey drug market along with cash worth Rs 35.63 lakh. Preliminary investigation reveals that the seized drugs were being smuggled from Myanmar through the Indo-Myanmar border to the border areas of Churachandpur district,” he said.