Guwahati: Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has cracked a major transnational drug trafficking network operating along the India-Myanmar border with the arrest of a key Myanmar-based kingpin who emerged as a major cross-border supplier of methamphetamine and heroin, officials said on Sunday.The arrest was made in Delhi on Saturday after extensive surveillance, intelligence gathering, interstate coordination, and follow-up operations as part of NCB’s sustained crackdown on transnational drug networks along the India-Myanmar corridor.The accused, identified as Thancintuang alias Chintuang alias Tluanga, is the second major Myanmar-based drug supplier nabbed by NCB this year.Chintuang had emerged as one of the most significant traffickers operating along the Myanmar-Mizoram-Manipur-Assam-Tripura corridor and was identified as a major international supplier of methamphetamine and heroin from the neighbouring country, the statement said.Investigations revealed his extensive involvement in organising cross-border trafficking networks routing narcotic consignments through Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, and Tripura into various parts of India and Bangladesh.He was wanted in multiple cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act by NCB and other drug law enforcement agencies.Chintuang was also accused in two NDPS cases registered by Mizoram Police in 2025 related to the suspected trafficking of methamphetamine and heroin. He was also found involved in six NDPS cases registered by Mizoram excise and narcotics department in 2023 linked to heroin trafficking.Investigations indicated his involvement in illicit drug trafficking networks valued at approximately Rs 115 crore, NCB said.He is linked to seven NDPS cases connected with the Myanmar-Mizoram-Tripura-Assam corridor and is also suspected in five other cases associated with the Myanmar-Manipur-Assam axis.Chintuang was the prime accused in a 2024 NCB Agartala zone case involving the seizure of 14 kg of methamphetamine and 2.8kg of heroin, and another 2025 case involving the seizure of 49.1 kg of methamphetamine tablets.During the investigation, several members of the syndicate and close associates of Chintuang were identified and apprehended by NCB.Among them, Vungkhanthawna, a close associate and key facilitator, played a major role in coordinating the movement and delivery of narcotic consignments linked to the Myanmar-based network. He was arrested during follow-up operations and was also found involved in another NDPS case registered by Mizoram Police.Another associate, Lalrampari, functioned as a major hawala operator responsible for handling and channelling proceeds generated through the syndicate’s illicit drug trafficking activities. She was arrested by the NCB on August 8, 2024.The investigation revealed hawala transactions amounting to nearly Rs 100 crore linked to the network, following which the matter was shared with the ED. Properties suspected to have been acquired through drug proceeds were also frozen by authorities.Further investigation led to the arrest of Abu Saleh alias Saifuddin from Assam’s Cachar district on November 20, 2025. He was identified as a major Indian operative and logistics coordinator associated with Chintuang’s network and was actively involved in transporting and distributing narcotic substances across the Assam corridor.He was found linked to multiple NDPS cases registered by Mizoram Police and Mizoram excise and narcotics department.Another key accused, Jabrul from Assam’s Karimganj district, was arrested on December 3, 2025, along with an additional consignment of narcotic drugs. He was found involved in multiple NDPS cases registered by Tripura Police and NCB.Financial investigations led to the identification and temporary freezing of multiple bank accounts linked to the accused.The probe revealed a highly organised interstate and international drug trafficking network extending from Myanmar to Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, Tripura, and Bangladesh. The syndicate utilised multiple trafficking routes, local facilitators, transport coordinators, hawala channels, and financial handlers for smuggling and distribution of methamphetamine and heroin across borders.Since 2025, NCB has intensified its network-centric investigations by adopting both “top-to-bottom” and “bottom-to-top” approaches aimed at dismantling entire syndicates rather than merely intercepting consignments, the statement said.In the northeastern region alone, NCB registered 48 NDPS cases in 2025, resulting in the arrest of 116 drug traffickers and the seizure of narcotic drugs valued at approximately Rs 665 crore in the illicit market.In 2026, NCB has already registered 31 NDPS cases so far, leading to the arrest of 54 drug traffickers and the seizure of substantial quantities of narcotic drugs during sustained enforcement operations across the region.
