Agartala, September 16: Nearly five lakh Yaba tablets were seized from a 12-wheel truck at Panisagar in North Tripura, with an 18-year-old driver arrested in connection with the recovery, officials said on Wednesday.
The consignment, weighing around 50 kg, was estimated to be worth nearly Rs 40 crore in the illegal market.
The seizure followed a joint operation by Panisagar Police, Assam Rifles and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Agartala, after the agencies received information about the suspected movement of narcotics through the state.
Acting on the intelligence, personnel intercepted the truck at the Agnipasha naka point on the National Highway. The vehicle was heading towards Agartala from Assam and had reportedly entered Tripura through Churaibari.
Officials said a search of the truck uncovered around 250 packets containing Yaba tablets concealed inside the vehicle.
The arrested driver was identified as Rupam Deka, 18, a resident of Noagaon in Guwahati, Assam.
Following the recovery, investigators began examining the origin and destination of the consignment. They are also probing the possible involvement of other individuals in transporting, supplying or receiving the narcotics.
The authorities are treating the seizure as a possible link to a wider inter-state trafficking network. Deka is being questioned to gather details about the alleged supply chain and identify those connected with the consignment.
Investigators are also tracing the truck’s movements from Churaibari to Agnipasha and checking whether other vehicles or persons were involved during the journey.
The recovery has prompted authorities to intensify scrutiny of narcotics movement through interstate highways and key entry points in Tripura. Surveillance and checking mechanisms along vulnerable routes are also being reviewed.
Officials said the investigation would continue to identify the wider network behind the consignment and establish the role of other suspected persons. Further enforcement action is expected as the probe progresses.
