KA-Nagaland route emerges as key NE drug corridor

DIPHU, JUL 12 (AGENCIES): The Karbi Anglong-Nagaland route has emerged as a major drug trafficking corridor in the North East, with smugglers exploiting the region to transport narcotics into Assam and other parts of the country, according to a report by The Assam Tribune.
The report said shifts in drug production in the Golden Triangle have prompted trafficking networks to increasingly use the route through Karbi Anglong into Nagaland. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has identified the Indo-Myanmar border as a major source of narcotics, with Karbi Anglong serving as a key transit point for drugs bound for Guwahati and beyond.
Recent enforcement operations have yielded significant seizures. Police intercepted a vehicle headed for Guwahati and recovered 3.049 kg of high-grade morphine valued at around Rs 3 crore. In another operation, Assam Police busted a smuggling network in Karbi Anglong and seized 10 kg of opium worth Rs 70 lakh.
NCB has also reported a sharp rise in trafficking of illegal pharmaceutical drugs in Nagaland, while Assam has recorded the highest recovery of synthetic tablets, highlighting the role of inter-state trafficking networks. To combat the growing menace, Assam and Nagaland have strengthened inter-state coordination. Police chiefs and anti-drug task force heads from all northeastern states recently met to formulate a joint strategy against drug trafficking.
Nagaland Director General of Police Rupin Sharma said traffickers moving drugs from Mizoram or Manipur into Nagaland would now face coordinated surveillance not only in Nagaland but also in Assam and neighbouring states. As part of the intensified crackdown, Nagaland Police are deploying facial recognition systems, smart cameras and CCTV surveillance in towns and key checkpoints bordering Assam. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has reiterated the state’s zero-tolerance policy against drugs and intensified highway surveillance with dedicated anti-drug teams.
The Assam Rifles and NCB have also stepped up joint training and intelligence-sharing while training police personnel on updated legal provisions to strengthen anti-narcotics operations.
Authorities said the coordinated strategy, supported by real-time intelligence sharing and advanced surveillance technology, was making it increasingly difficult for traffickers to operate along the Karbi Anglong-Nagaland corridor.