3,200kg cannabis smuggled in from Tripura seized in Assam’s Karimganj

Karimganj SP Padmanabh Baruah said the district police seized 3,000kg of cannabis in September and that it was coming from Tripura where there was illegal cultivation of cannabis on a large scale

SILCHAR: The Karimganj police in Assam on Monday seized 3,243 kg of cannabis at the Assam-Tripura border check-post. Police said the contraband was packed in jute bags and was to be smuggled into Guwahati.

The cannabis was being smuggled in 93 jute bags loaded on a 12-wheel truck registered in Nagaland. (Photo:Karimganj Police)

This is the second seizure of cannabis, or ganja, in the district. On Saturday night, police seized 2,400kg.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated the state police for the seizure. “Another major feat by Assam Police in its drive against drugs. Churaibari Watch Post staff of Karimganj Police seized 3,243 kg ganja concealed within empty sacks of a truck coming from a neighbouring state. One accused has been apprehended,” he said in a post on Twitter.

Churaibari post in charge Niranjan Das said the police team deployed at the check-post stopped a vehicle at about 4pm for checking.

“A 12-wheeler goods carrier truck registered in Nagaland loaded with jute bags was checked thoroughly and we found 3243kg cannabis packed in 93 bags,” he said.

In his initial interrogation, Manik Singha allegedly told police that he was assigned to transport the consignment to Guwahati.

Karimganj superintendent of police Padmanabh Baruah said over 3,000 kg of cannabis has already been seized by police in three cases last month. Baruah said cannabis was being illegally grown in Tripura. “We have discussed this with Tripura police and they said that there are efforts to curb this,” he added.