Assam Resident Arrested in Manipur with Meth Tablets Valued at ₹18.6 Crore
Manipur Police, in coordination with central security forces, have dismantled an inter-state drug trafficking operation with the arrest of an alleged smuggler from Assam and the seizure of a large consignment of illicit narcotics valued at approximately ₹18.6 crore.
According to a police bulletin issued on Thursday, a joint team comprising Manipur Police, CRPF and Assam Rifles apprehended Ilaj Ali Laskar (29), a resident of Lalpani in Assam’s Cachar district. The arrest was made on Wednesday at Chandrapur under Jiribam Police Station in Manipur’s Jiribam district, which borders Assam.
During the operation, security personnel recovered 1,60,000 methamphetamine tablets, commonly known as WY or Yaba tablets, weighing about 18.6 kilograms. The contraband tablets, stamped with “WY/R,” were seized along with a truck bearing Assam registration number AS-24 AC-3721, which was allegedly being used to transport the drugs from Manipur to Assam.
Police clarified that WY or WY/R tablets are illegal narcotic substances and not authorised pharmaceutical products. These tablets, a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine, are highly addictive and widely trafficked across Southeast Asia, particularly from regions near the India–Myanmar border, with Manipur often used as a transit route.
All seized items were confiscated following due legal procedures, and the accused was handed over to Jiribam Police Station. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Act, 2023, and further investigation is underway to identify links to the wider smuggling network.
