Manipur: Three held with Yaba tablets worth over Rs 1 crore in Tengnoupal

Security forces arrested three suspected drug smugglers and seized 5.89 kg of yaba tablets during a checkpoint operation in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district, police said on Monday, January 12. 

The arrests were made after the vehicle in which the accused were travelling was intercepted in the Tengnoupal police station area following specific intelligence inputs.

The arrested persons have been identified as James Baite (28), Hatneikim Baite (50) and David T Mate (41). Police said the seized consignment of yaba tablets is estimated to be worth more than Rs 1 crore in the illegal market, indicating a major attempt to traffic narcotics through the border district.

Yaba, which means “crazy medicine” in Thai, is a tablet-based form of methamphetamine and is considered a highly potent stimulant. According to international agencies, the drug was first introduced in East Asia during World War II to boost soldiers’ performance and has since evolved into a widely abused narcotic in several Southeast Asian countries.

Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the drugs and to identify possible links to larger cross-border drug trafficking networks operating in the region.