In one of the biggest anti-narcotics offensives in the Northeast this year, the Assam Rifles, in close coordination with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and state police, seized Yaba tablets worth more than Rs 425 crore in a series of intelligence-based operations conducted in Tripura and Assam between September 15 and 16, 2026.
The coordinated operations resulted in the recovery of over 12.26 lakh Yaba tablets worth approximately Rs 98.08 crore from two separate locations in Tripura, while another 109.2 kg of Yaba tablets valued at around Rs 327 crore was seized in Assam's Hailakandi district, dealing a significant blow to organized inter-state narcotics trafficking networks.
In Tripura, acting on intelligence inputs developed by the Assam Rifles Field Intelligence Unit (ARFIU) and other sources, Assam Rifles, along with the DRI and North Tripura Police, carried out two successful operations on the night of September 15.
In the first operation, conducted jointly with the DRI at Khowai Choumohani in Teliamura, Khowai district, security personnel recovered 7,26,000 Yaba tablets valued at around Rs 58.08 crore. One person from Itakhola in Assam's Sonitpur district of Assam was arrested, and a Tata truck allegedly used to transport the narcotics was seized.
In the second operation at Panisagar in North Tripura district, Assam Rifles and North Tripura Police recovered 5,00,000 Yaba tablets worth nearly Rs 40 crore. Another suspect, a resident of Nagrmari in Assam's Morigaon district, was apprehended along with another Tata truck.
Meanwhile, in a separate major operation, Assam Rifles and the DRI, Silchar, acting on specific intelligence, intercepted a consignment in the Ramnathpur area of Hailakandi district, Assam, during an operation conducted between September 15 and 16.
The joint team recovered 546 packets of Yaba tablets weighing 109.2 kg, estimated to be worth Rs 327 crore. Two trucks, a mobile phone, an Aadhaar card and a driving licence were also seized, while one person was arrested.
Officials described the Hailakandi seizure as the largest-ever Yaba recovery in the area and one of the biggest narcotics seizures in the Northeast, significantly disrupting the operations of organised drug trafficking syndicates involved in inter-state smuggling.
All the arrested individuals, seized contraband, vehicles and other recovered items have been handed over to the concerned authorities, including the DRI and state police, for further investigation and legal proceedings.
The back-to-back operations underscore the growing effectiveness of intelligence-driven coordination between the Assam Rifles, DRI and state police forces in dismantling organized narcotics networks and preventing the movement of illegal drugs through the Northeast.