Two top drug peddlers held in Assam, heroin seized

Guwahati, Oct 26 Heroin valued at Rs 8 crore was seized in two separate incidents in Assam's Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts and two drug peddlers, including a most wanted drug supplier of Manipur, arrested after exchange of fire with the police, officials said on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, Assam Police personnel intercepted a few drug suppliers at Lahorijan area in Karbi Anglong district on Monday night but they fired upon the police, who retaliated.

After the exchange of fire, a wounded drug smuggler was found in the area with bullet injuries and shifted to hospital.

Around 626 gm heroin, valued at Rs 6 crore, a pistol and ammunition was found in his bag, the police said, adding that the other drug suppliers might have escaped during the exchange of fire.

Police continued a search operation on Tuesday to nab the fleeing accused.

In Nagaon district, most-wanted drug supplier R. K. Hopingson was arrested at Nonoi on Monday night along with a vehicle and drugs valued at Rs 2 crore.

Hopingson, a resident of Manipur's Senapati district and operating his drugs trade from Nagaland's Dimapur, tried to flee after attacking a policeman but was apprehended.

He was carrying the drugs from Dimapur to Nagaon, police said.

Security forces including Assam Rifles, Border Security Forces and state police almost every day arrest people in different northeastern states with huge quantities of drugs valued at crores of rupees. Officials said that the drugs are smuggled from neighbouring Myanmar which shares a 1,643-km of unfenced border with four north-eastern states.

The drugs, specially heroin and highly-addictive methamphetamine tablets, also commonly known as 'Yaba' or 'party tablets' or 'WY' and various other contraband as well as arms and ammunition were often smuggled from Myanmar and then illegally traded to other Indian states and neighbouring Bangladesh and other countries.

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