Meghalaya police bust drug trafficking ring in Jaintia Hills; 8 arrested

TNT News | Jowai, June 16, 2018: 

In a major haul, a team of personnel from the Anti Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) and the West Jaintia Hills police busted a drug trafficking ring in Ialong village near Jowai in West Jaintia Hills on late Friday night and arrested 8 people in this connection.

According to the Superintendent of Police, West Jaintia Hills, Vivek Syiem, the team set up a check point on the NH44 at  Ialong near Pine Breeze Hotel when at about 10:20 pm two Scorpios B/R no. MN 01 – AK 6984 (white colour) and MN 01 – X 8542 (black colour) reached the check point, where they were duly detained and searched.

During the search, a total of 67 identical tightly plastic wrapped colored packets containing within each 10 blue heat- sealed packets; each blue heat –sealed packet contained 100 pink color tablets suspected to be psychotropic drugs marked with the letter 'WY' on the body of the tablet, were recovered and seized  from the Scorpios B/R no. MN 01 – AK 6984 and Scorpio B/R MN 01 – X 8542.

The total number of tablets in the total seizure is to the tune of 67,000 (sixty seven thousand tablets) being commercial quantity of psychotropic substance. The two Scorpios, 11 mobile phones, 6 SIM cards and Cash amounting to Rs. 2,96,065 was also seized.

A group of drug traffickers were travelling from Guwahati towards Silchar and nearing the district when they were intercepted by the ANT,  West Jaintia Hills led by DSP WJH, Macjoel Marngar and  Arki Wahlang inspector incharge of ANTF WJH.The search was conducted in the presence of independent witnesses including Executive Magistrate West Jaintia Hills, Smt. B Blah, MCS.

The drug traffickers namely M Sianzathang Zou (35), Chinsunlam Zou (27), Mangminthang Zou (29), Niangnu Zou (39), Pawhawi Zou (31), Thangboi Zou (27), Ngehnu Zou (18) and one female juvenile of 16 yrs were detained, all hailing from Manipur.

From preliminary questioning, it is  ascertained that the suspected narcotic  had been smuggled from Myanmar via Moreh to be sold to vendors in other states. The psychotropic drug is suspected to be Meta Amphetamine estimated to cost Rs 1 Crore 34 lakhs  in the open market.

It appears there is an elaborate nexus for the supply of narcotics from Myanmar into the north east  for which several youth from the region are affected. It is also found that several drug users from the district procure drugs from Cachar for which this consignment was headed.

A  Case  has been registered vide Jowai PS C/No. 149(6)18 u/s 120B r/w 8A( c) /22(c) to ascertain the  other players in this  supply chain of narcotics.

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