900 kg Ganja Worth Over Rs.4.49 Crore Seized by Customs, Concerns Grow Over Political Patronage, and Expanding Narcotics Routes
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, June 8, 2026
In one of the biggest anti-narcotics operations in Tripura this year, the Agartala Customs Preventive Force (CPF) has seized nearly 898.42 kilograms of cannabis (ganja) from a ten-wheeler truck near Hejamara on the Agartala–Manik Bhandar road. The consignment, concealed in specially designed hidden chambers inside the vehicle, is estimated to be worth approximately Rs.4.49 crore in the illegal market.
The operation has once again brought into focus the growing challenge of drug trafficking across Tripura and raised serious concerns about the alleged nexus between drug networks, political patronage, and ineffective follow-up investigations.
According to Customs officials, the seizure was made following specific intelligence inputs received on June 6 regarding the movement of a large narcotics consignment through Tripura. Acting on the information, a special team of the Customs Preventive Force launched surveillance and intercepted a suspicious truck near Hejamara in the early hours of Sunday.
During an extensive search, officers discovered sophisticated hidden compartments beneath the fuel tank and within the vehicle's structure. A total of 135 packets were recovered, including 96 black packets and 39 brown packets.
Field testing conducted using an NDPS Drug Testing Kit confirmed the substance to be cannabis. The total weight was found to be 898.42 kg, making it one of the largest cannabis seizures by Customs in recent months.
Driver Arrested, Investigation Underway
The truck driver was arrested on the spot and booked under various provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
Customs officials said efforts are underway to identify the source of the consignment, its intended destination, and other individuals connected to the trafficking network. Investigators suspect that the seized consignment is part of a larger interstate narcotics syndicate operating across multiple states.
The seizure has renewed concerns over widespread illegal cannabis cultivation and trafficking routes allegedly operating across the Mohanpur Assembly constituency and adjoining areas.
Local sources and law enforcement officials indicate that regions including Hejamara, Subalsingh, Khowai and Manik Bhandar have increasingly been used as transit corridors for truckloads of cannabis moving out of the state. Besides cannabis, traffickers are also believed to be using the same routes for smuggling heroin, brown sugar, yaba and various psychotropic tablets.
While multiple enforcement agencies, including Customs, Assam Rifles, BSF and State Police, have made significant seizures in recent years, concerns persist regarding the effectiveness of subsequent investigations and prosecutions.
A senior central government agencies officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern that many major narcotics cases lose momentum after being transferred to local investigating agencies.
According to the officer, despite repeated seizures and arrests, conviction rates remain low and the larger networks behind the trade often remain untouched.
"Drug trafficking on this scale cannot continue without protection and support from influential quarters. Unless political patronage and local support systems are dismantled, it will be extremely difficult to eliminate drug trafficking and drug abuse from Tripura," the officer said.
The officer further noted that traffickers frequently exploit weaknesses in investigation, intelligence-sharing and prosecution, allowing major operators to evade the law.
The latest seizure comes despite the strong anti-drug campaign launched by Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha and efforts by Director General of Police Anurag Dhankar, IPS to curb narcotics trafficking and substance abuse across the state.
The state government has repeatedly emphasized a "zero tolerance" approach toward drugs, leading to intensified enforcement operations and destruction of illegal cannabis plantations in several districts. However, the continuing flow of narcotics through road and rail networks suggests that traffickers remain active and adaptive.
Security experts believe Tripura's geographical location and extensive connectivity with neighboring regions make it vulnerable to becoming both a transit and distribution hub for narcotics.
The state's road corridors, railway routes and border areas have increasingly attracted trafficking syndicates seeking to move drugs to markets across India. Experts argue that stronger intelligence coordination, financial investigations, asset seizures and prosecution of high-level operators are essential to dismantle these networks.
more news...