‘Huge blow to international drugs cartel’: Assam CM vows to eradicate drug menace by 2029
Operation Trident raided 38 locations across Assam, Manipur and Mizoram, arresting 18 people. The crackdown targeted an alleged cross-border drugs and hawala network linked to 1,424 frozen accounts.
- Oct 25, 2026,
- Updated Oct 25, 2026, 4:33 PM IST
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on October 25 said the crackdown on drug trafficking would continue until the menace was eradicated by 2029, describing the recent multi-state raids under Operation Trident as a major blow to an international narcotics cartel.
The operation, conducted across Assam, Manipur and Mizoram, exposed an alleged drugs and hawala network operating across the region, Sarma said, reiterating the commitment of the Centre and state governments in the Northeast to achieving the goal of a 'Nasha Mukt Bharat' (drug-free India).
"This is a huge blow to the international drugs cartel!" Sarma said in a social media post, adding that Operation Trident had unearthed a major drugs and hawala nexus.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said agencies carried out simultaneous raids at 38 locations across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur, resulting in the arrest of 18 people and the freezing of 1,424 bank accounts.
Shah praised the operation, which was conducted on Friday to dismantle an international narcotics cartel allegedly operating across India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
"India will hammer until the last nail is driven into the coffin of drug cartels," Shah said.
According to the Union Home Minister, the network used the so-called 'Death Triangle Corridor' to traffic narcotics across the borders of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The operation targeted the alleged cross-border drug trafficking network and its financial links, with the freezing of bank accounts forming a key part of the crackdown.