GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has raised alarm over a new drug trafficking route that has emerged through Arunachal Pradesh, posing a fresh challenge for Upper Assam.
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Speaking in Delhi, the CM said authorities have seized a large volume of narcotics over the past month, including a consignment worth ₹80 crore intercepted in Guwahati that was destined for Punjab. He described drug trafficking as "a big menace" that the state is actively working to curb.
According to Sarma, smugglers have historically routed drugs through the Moreh corridor via Myanmar-Mizoram and Myanmar-Manipur borders. However, a new pathway, running from Myanmar through Changlang (Arunachal Pradesh) into Tinsukia, Assam, has now become active, something that had not occurred before.
The CM said recent drug seizures in Tinsukia revealed that peddlers identified Changlang as the new entry point for narcotics, marking what he called "a bad sign for Upper Assam."
Authorities are reportedly stepping up efforts to monitor and disrupt this emerging trafficking route.