Mizoram Police arrest alleged kingpin in India–Myanmar drug trafficking network

Mizoram Police have arrested the suspected leader of a major cross-border narcotics syndicate operating between India and Myanmar, marking a significant development in ongoing efforts to combat transnational drug trafficking in the region.

The accused, Lalchhuanthangi (50), a resident of Aizawl’s Khatla South locality who had been living in Delhi, was detained in the national capital on November 4 by officers from Zokhawthar Police Station, assisted by the Special Bureau and Delhi Police.

She is accused in Zokhawthar Police Station Case No. 53/2025, registered on July 10, 2025, under Sections 21(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act, along with Section 14A(b) of the Foreigners Act.

Investigators believe Lalchhuanthangi played a central role in coordinating drug movements between Myanmar and India. Police sources revealed that she had previously served an eight-year prison sentence in Thailand (2014–2022) for a narcotics offence. She was also linked to a money scam case in Kerala in 2023, for which she was out on bail when apprehended this week.

Following her arrest, a Champhai Police team secured a transit remand from Delhi’s Dwarka Court and is escorting her back to Mizoram for further questioning.

In a separate but related development, another suspect, Joseph Lianthangpuia (42), from Chanakya Place in New Delhi, was arrested on the night of November 5 in connection with Saitual Police Station Case No. 63/2025, registered on August 23, 2025. He faces charges under Sections 21(c), 25, and 29 of the NDPS Act, read with Section 14 of the Foreigners Act.

This case is tied to Mizoram Police’s largest-ever heroin seizure, where 15 kilograms of heroin were recovered from a vehicle (registration number MZ-01X-1909) driven by Lalliancheua (20) of Falam, Myanmar.

Both suspects are being brought to Mizoram for interrogation as authorities intensify efforts to dismantle the wider network behind the cross-border drug operations.