Guwahati: The Assam Rifles foiled multiple smuggling bids of areca nuts and seized an 'astounding' 4428.314 tonnes of the contraband item, valued at Rs 156 crore in the grey market, between January and December 2023. The paramilitary force made these seizures in three states of the northeast - Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram, when they were being smuggled into India from neighbouring Myanmar.
According to a data provided exclusively to ABP Live by the Assam Rifles, a staggering 2712.704 tonnes of illegal areca nuts, valued at Rs 95 crore, in Manipur, 1032.96 tonnes, valued at Rs 37 crore, in Nagaland, and 682.65 tonnes, valued at Rs 24 crore, in Mizoram, were seized by its troops during 2023. The Assam Rifles also nabbed several persons involved in the illegal trade and seized hundreds of vehicles, bearing both Indian and Myanmar registration numbers, during the period.
The Assam Rifles told ABP Live that smuggled areca nuts, valued at Rs 82.54 crore, have been seized by its personnel in Manipur’s Kamjong district bordering Myanmar, alone, in January 2024.
The Assam Rifles foiled yet another cross-border smuggling attempt of areca nuts in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Friday. Based on intelligence input indicating unlawful transportation of areca nuts in the district’s Shankalok area and jungle track connecting Phaikoh and Grihang village, personnel of the Assam Rifles while carrying out a search operation intercepted a total of nine trucks, bearing Indian registration number. The search operation resulted in a significant seizure, encompassing as many as 1,220 bags of areca nuts, weighing approximately 96.66 tonnes, valued at Rs 11.5992 crore in the international market. The confiscated contraband item was later handed over to the forest beat officer of Kamjong district.
Smuggling of areca nuts is quite rampant in the northeastern states which share 1,643-kilometre-long international borders with Myanmar. While Manipur shares a 398-kilometre-long border with Myanmar, Mizoram shares 510 kilometre, Arunachal Pradesh 520 kilometre and Nagaland 215 kilometre. Smuggled areca nuts make their way into India through these porous borders and are then transported to different parts of the country. Areca nuts are widely chewed in India despite its harmful effects. In 2021, a high-level probe was ordered in India over smuggling of areca nuts from the neighbouring countries.
Besides areca nuts, the traffickers smuggle various other contraband items into India from Myanmar, including narcotic drugs, arms and ammunition, exotic animals, and gold. The Assam Rifles also told ABP Live that narcotic drugs valued at Rs 200 crore were seized by its personnel in Manipur’s Ukhrul and Tengnoupal districts in 2023.