SHILLONG, AUGUST 7: A huge cache of high quality heroin and cannabis worth over Rs 1 crore in the international market was seized from two persons here today, a top customs official said.
Acting on tip off, customs sleuths intercepted an empty ten-wheeler truck on the Shillong by-pass and seized over 850 kg of high quality cannabis and arrested the driver. The cannabis was concealed inside a specially built chamber behind the driver’s cabin.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the cannabis, which was procured from Tripura, was meant to be handed over to someone in Guwahati, the official said.
Meanwhile, a Manipuri man was arrested and heroin weighing 500 gram found from him at Khyndailad area, a commercial hub in the heart of the state capital.
The heroin was believed to be sourced from Myanmar.
Though originally from Chandil district of Manipur, the suspected drug peddler had been residing in Nongthymmai area for the past 17 years.
Deputy Commissioner of Custom Preventive, North East Region (NER) Isaac Kharkongor said, “The cannabis seized is worth approximately Rs 42.50 lakh while the market value of the heroin is Rs 50 lakh.” The two arrested men have been booked under relevant sections of the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act.
Stating that Shillong is becoming as the main transit point of heroin, he said, “It is quite a serious trend as so far this year we already have two big cases of heroin smuggling.”
