Operation Trident: ED Smashes Narco-Hawala Network, Freezes 1,424 Bank Accounts
The ED has frozen over 1,400 bank accounts and arrested six people in a massive crackdown on narco-hawala networks in Mizoram and Manipur.
In a massive coordinated strike, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has dismantled a sophisticated narco-hawala ecosystem operating across the North-East. Under the banner of Operation Trident, the agency has frozen a staggering 1,424 bank accounts and arrested six individuals linked to the trafficking of narcotics and the laundering of their proceeds.
The operation, conducted on October 23, was a joint effort involving the ED's Aizawl and Imphal sub-zonal offices, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and the Mizoram Police. The crackdown targeted multiple premises in Aizawl, Champhai, and Lawngtlai in Mizoram, and Churachandpur in Manipur.
The Scale of the Crackdown
The ED has provisionally attached properties worth Rs 17.82 crore belonging to narco-hawala operators in Mizoram. When combined with previously secured assets in the form of frozen bank accounts worth Rs 8.19 crore, the total value of assets secured by the agency now exceeds Rs 26 crore.
Six suspects have been arrested under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), with three arrested in Mizoram and three in Manipur. Additionally, the ED is processing production-for-arrest applications for four more suspects currently in judicial custody for narcotics cases in Mizoram.
The 'Death Triangle' Corridor
The investigation reveals a dangerous two-way street of illicit trade. The North-East, which shares a 1,643 km porous border with Myanmar, has become the primary land corridor for drugs produced in the Golden Triangle—now referred to by Indian authorities as the 'Death Triangle'.
The Flow of Drugs and Money
- Narcotics Inflow: Heroin, brown sugar, and methamphetamine tablets from Myanmar enter through Mizoram and Manipur. These substances are either consumed locally or transported through Assam to the rest of of India and Bangladesh.
- Money Outflow: The drug money generated across this chain flows back to border towns in Mizoram, where it is settled with suppliers in Myanmar via a complex hawala network.
Three Key Cases That Triggered the Action
The ED's investigation was based on three separate FIRs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985:
- The Zokhawthar Seizure: On March 14, 2025, Zokhawthar Police in Champhai seized 4.722 kg of heroin (packed in 440 soap cases) being transported to Aizawl for a Myanmar-based supplier.
- The NCB Agartala Seizure: On August 21, 2025, NCB Agartala intercepted a convoy on NH-06A near Seling, Mizoram, seizing 49.101 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 40 grams of heroin sourced from Chintuang, Myanmar.
- The Churachandpur Seizure: On July 2, this year, Churachandpur Police in Manipur seized 2.413 kg of brown sugar and Rs 31.43 lakh in cash, which were sale proceeds intended for remittance to Myanmar suppliers.
The Chemical Pipeline
"The trafficking corridor works as a two-way street,"officials stated, exposing a sinister detail of the operation. Not only do drugs enter India, but precursor and cutting chemicals move from India into Myanmar to facilitate drug production.
The ED discovered that a firm called Krishiv Enterprises dispatched approximately 32 tonnes of Caffeine Anhydrous and 10 tonnes of Aluminium Chloride Anhydrous between March and November 2024. These chemicals were sent to small retail pharmacies and a general store in Aizawl and the border belt of Mizoram using regular E-way bills and GST invoices. Since these small shops had no manufacturing facilities, they acted as front consignees, moving the chemicals across the border to tablet-pressing units in Myanmar.