Imphal, 04 November (H.S.): Security personnel have arrested a 29-year-old Myanmar

national and seized 9.050 kg of opium from his possession in Manipur’s

Churachandpur district, police said.

The accused, identified as Lianlamhau Manlun, a resident of

Lomzang village under Tonzang Township in Myanmar, was arrested by a team of

Behiang Police Station from L. Kannan village on November 2.

During the operation, the police recovered 9.050 kg of

opium, a mobile phone and an identity card issued by Myanmar Posts and

Telecommunications from his possession. A case has been registered under the

Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and further

investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the contraband and

identify possible links in the drug trafficking network.

The seizure assumes significance as Churachandpur lies close

to the India-Myanmar border, a region that has remained vulnerable to

cross-border smuggling and the trafficking of narcotic substances. Manipur's

proximity to the Golden Triangle — comprising Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, a

major illicit drug-producing region — has made the state particularly

vulnerable to the trafficking of opium, heroin and other narcotics.

Security agencies have stepped up surveillance and

anti-narcotics operations in border districts to curb drug trafficking and

dismantle networks operating across the international boundary.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Abhijit Deb