Manipur: ‘Operation White Veil’ Busts Major Drug Smuggling Cartel

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₹55.5 Crore Worth of Heroin, Opium Seized in Manipur in Joint Crackdown on Cross-Border Drug Smuggling

By TRH News Desk

New Delhi, June 9, 2025 — In a major blow to cross-border drug trafficking networks, a joint operation titled “Operation White Veil” was launched by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Customs, Assam Rifles, and Manipur Police, leading to the seizure of heroin, opium, and cash worth over Rs. 55.52 crore in Manipur’s Churachandpur district. The three-day operation was conducted from June 5 to 7 in areas bordering Myanmar.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Finance, the multi-agency operation led to the seizure of 7,755.75 grams of heroin (valued at Rs. 54.29 crore) and 6,736 grams of opium (worth Rs. 87.57 lakh) in the international drug market. Additionally, authorities recovered cash totalling Rs. 35.63 lakh, two Baofeng walkie-talkies, and a Maruti Eeco van. Five individuals were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The crackdown began in the early hours of June 6 when two suspects in a Maruti Eeco van were intercepted near Behiang Village, close to the Indo-Myanmar border. The pursuit led officials to a residential house in Thadou Veng, Singngat Sub-Division, where they discovered 219 soap cases of heroin, opium in eight packets and 18 tin cans, communication equipment, and Rs. 7.58 lakh in cash.

Two other suspects who initially fled the scene were intercepted at Bualkot Check Gate, and follow-up raids led to another seizure of opium and Rs. 28.05 lakh in cash from a residence in Behiang.

The operation continued on June 7, when officials, acting on fresh intelligence, intercepted two individuals carrying improvised manpacks near Zoukhonuam Village, close to Border Pillar 46. Their packs contained 440 soap cases of heroin.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the narcotics were smuggled from Myanmar into Manipur through porous forested routes along the Indo-Myanmar border. The operation was carried out despite severe logistical and environmental challenges, underscoring the coordination and resolve of the joint task force.

The Ministry of Finance noted that under the NDPS Act, those involved face stringent legal consequences, including up to ten years of rigorous imprisonment.

The operation highlights growing concerns about transnational narcotics smuggling in the northeastern states and the need for continued cross-agency vigilance and enforcement in vulnerable border regions.