Shillong: Meghalaya police on Thursday seized 676 grams of heroin and 30 strips of Nitrazepam tablets worth Rs 1 crore and arrested six persons from different locations.
Based on credible information about the smuggling of drugs into the State, the Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) arrested two persons – Garry Kharnaior and Kmenlang Shabong – who travelled from Manipur’s Jiribam to Shillong via Assam’s Silchar by Jagannath travels and tours bus bearing registration number ML-05-L-7887.
On searching their bags, the ANTF team found 34 and 26 soap cases wrapped in black polythene containing yellow/orange powder along with 30 Nitrazepam tablet strips from the blue/black bag pack.
“The suspects and the bags were then shifted to Khliehriat Police Station. The contents of the soap cases were then emptied into two separate transparent polythene bags and preliminary tests were conducted on the yellow/orange powder in the presence of independent witnesses. The tests yielded positive results for heroin,” Director General of Police (DGP) L.R. Bishnoi told reporters.
During the preliminary interrogation, Bishnoi said the two arrested persons revealed the name of Marvin Jyrwa, the main financier of the entire illegal drugs and that he was waiting to receive the drugs at Mawryngkneng village in East Khasi Hills district.
“A team was sent to Mawryngkneng and they intercepted and detained Jyrwa along with his three associates namely Meibifil Buam, Khrawboklang Kharkongor and Aiborlang Laitmon,” the police chief said.
Bishnoi said a total of 36 police personnel were involved in the 12-hour-long operation.
“The war against drugs will continue. We have decided that whoever will do good work from the police or the intelligence branch, they will be instantly rewarded,” Bishnoi, who also felicitated Additional Superintendent of Police Banraplang Jyrwa and 35 others who were part of the joint operation that led to the arrest of the six persons.
All were presented with the DGP’s commendation certificates and cash awards.
Stating that the kingpin of drugs trade always escapes the police dragnet since they either operate from outside the state like Manipur or even outside the country like Myanmar, Bishnoi said, “This is a trans-national problem and we have been collaborating through the joint coordination committees which have a mechanism to share information instantly.”
He said that the state police have adopted a four-pronged strategy to fight drugs menace – awareness about it, capacity building of police officers, enforcement and rehabilitating the drug addicts.
