New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has hailed Operation Trident as a major offensive against an international narcotics cartel operating across India, Myanmar and Bangladesh, with investigators uncovering hawala transactions worth Rs 100 crore and freezing 1,424 bank accounts. The October 23 operation, conducted across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur, resulted in 18 arrests, the attachment of properties worth Rs 17.82 crore and the seizure of 500 detonators and Rs 12 lakh in cash.

Congratulating the anti-narcotics teams comprising central agencies and police forces of the three states, Shah said the network trafficked narcotics through what he described as the “Death Triangle Corridor”. He reiterated the government’s resolve to eliminate every drug network by December 31, 2029.

Modi Govt deals another lethal blow against drugs with Operation Trident. Our agencies launched a barrage of simultaneous crackdowns across 38 locations in Assam, Mizoram and Manipur on 23 October, smashing an international narco-cartel. The operation revealed ₹100 crore worth of hawala transactions, froze 1,424 bank accounts, attached properties worth ₹17.82 crore, seized 500 detonators and ₹12 lakh in cash, and led to the arrest of 18 people. The network trafficked narcotics across the borders of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh through the Death Triangle Corridor. The offensive attests to India’s Himalayan resolve to realise the mission of eradicating every drug network by 31 December 2029. India will hammer until the last nail is driven into the coffin of drug cartels. Heartiest congratulations to the anti-narcotics team comprising central agencies, and police forces of the three states.

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 25, 2026

Beyond the arrests and seizures, the operation has brought a wider financial network under scrutiny. Drug money generated across Manipur, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura allegedly flowed through interconnected bank accounts in Mizoram, with funds used to settle payments with suppliers in Myanmar. This financial trail is emerging as a key dimension of the investigation into the cross-border narcotics trade.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in coordination with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Mizoram Police, led the October 23 operation, conducting simultaneous searches at 38 locations. The action followed intelligence-sharing, financial profiling and investigations into links between narcotics consignments and the movement of suspected proceeds.

The investigation draws on three money-laundering cases linked to earlier narcotics seizures. These include the recovery of 4.72 kg of heroin in Champhai in March 2025, the seizure of more than 49 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 40 grams of heroin in Mizoram in August 2025, and the recovery of brown sugar and cash in Churachandpur in July 2026. Investigators examined connections between these cases to trace the movement of suspected drug proceeds.

The findings point to an interconnected network in which accounts in Champhai, Aizawl and Lawngtlai allegedly received drug proceeds generated across several Northeastern states before funds were channelled towards Myanmar-based suppliers. The probe has also examined suspected hawala operators and financial intermediaries who allegedly helped move or settle the proceeds of drug trafficking.

The operation builds on earlier action against key figures in the alleged syndicate. Myanmar-based kingpin Thangcintuang, also known as Chintuang or Tluanga, was arrested in Delhi in May this year, according to the government. He is accused of orchestrating the movement of methamphetamine and heroin along the Myanmar-Mizoram-Manipur-Assam-Tripura corridor, with links extending into mainland India and Bangladesh.

Other operatives identified in the investigation include Vungkhanthawna, described by authorities as a key facilitator in the movement of consignments; Lalrampari, identified as a major hawala operator and arrested by the NCB in August 2024; and Abu Saleh, also known as Saifuddin, who was arrested in Cachar in November 2025 and allegedly coordinated logistics along the Assam corridor.

The searches covered Aizawl, Champhai and Lawngtlai in Mizoram, Churachandpur in Manipur and locations linked to the Cachar transit corridor in Assam. The government said the simultaneous action was designed to disrupt the cartel’s logistics and financial channels while preventing suspects from escaping or assets from being concealed.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also welcomed the operation, describing it as a major blow to the international drug cartel. In a post on X, he said the Union government and Northeastern state governments remained committed to tackling the drug menace and achieving a Nasha Mukt Bharat. He added that action against drug mafias would continue towards the goal of making drugs history by 2029.

This is a huge blow to the international drugs cartel! Op Trident, carried out across Assam, Manipur and Mizoram has unearthed a huge drugs and hawala nexus being carried out in the region. The Union Govt and our State Govts in the North East are firm on tackling this menace and realising the goal of a #NashaMuktBharat and such relentless pursuit will continue against the mafias till we make drugs a history by 2029.

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 25, 2026

Operation Trident highlights the importance of following the money alongside the narcotics themselves. By tracing suspected drug proceeds, identifying intermediaries and freezing accounts and properties, investigators are seeking to disrupt the financial system that sustains cross-border trafficking. Establishing the full extent of these links and preventing the channels from being reused will be central to the investigation’s next phase.

BI Bureau