Tripura being used as drug corridor from Myanmar to Bangladesh: CM Manik Saha

Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on his return after joining the 70th North Eastern Council (NEC) plenary meeting at Guwahati, on Monday said that “Tripura is being used as corridor for drug trafficking from Myanmar and Bangladesh.”

In the evening on October 10 speaking to the media at the state secretariat Chief Minister Dr. Saha said that drugs from Myanmar enters Tripura via Mizoram and Assam.

He said, "It is known to all that Tripura is being used as a corridor for peddling and trafficking drugs from Myanmar that enters our state through Assam and Mizoram and ultimately reaches Bangladesh. Our union Home Minister Amit Shah ji took the matter very seriously and viewed that Indian soil or parts of Tripura and NE will not be used for drug trafficking because along with drugs, arms and ammunitions is also smuggled".

He added that another item which is smuggled randomly through Tripura is codeine based contraband cough syrups which is brought from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and the ultimate destination is Bangladesh.
The CM said that the union Home Minister Amit Shah has made it clear that in no situation Indian soil would be allowed to be used for illicit drug trade.

Saha said that since the BJP led government came to power in Tripura in 2018 the biggest ever seizures of marijuana was held and some 700 vehicles of drug peddlers have been seized beside arrest of drug traffickers and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to specifically probe into the drug menace.
Saha said that the police has also freezed the bank accounts and property worth Rs. 6.5 crores beside vehicles worth Rs. 200 crores, moreover, to check drug menace capacity building of police personnel is going on along with demand setting up of offices of central agencies like Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Bureau.

Saha further added that to combat the drug menace various awareness programmes are also being held beside strengthening of border guards and fending the porous border, lighting of border, setting up of cameras, satellite imagery software, drone technology beside settings up of branch of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Tripura.