Operation Trident: Multi-Agency Narcotics Crackdown in Northeast India
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) spearheaded 'Operation Trident' in the early hours of 23 October 2026, deploying 38 multi-agency teams to conduct simultaneous raids across 38 locations in Assam, Mizoram, and Manipur. The operation was conducted in seamless coordination with Mizoram Police and Enforcement Directorate (ED) as part of the Modi government's policy of Zero Tolerance against Drugs and strategic shift from a seizure-centric to a network-centric approach.
The coordinated strikes covered key urban hubs and sensitive border corridors including Aizawl, Champhai, and the strategic Indo-Myanmar border trading town of Zokhawthar in Mizoram, alongside linked operative bases in Churachandpur, Manipur and the Cachar/Assam transit corridor. The operation targeted a prolific transnational syndicate led by Myanmar-based kingpin Thangcintuang @ Chintuang @ Tluanga, who was wanted in over 10 NDPS cases across NCB, Champhai Police, and Mizoram Excise.
Financial Impact and Seizures
The operation revealed ₹100 crore worth of hawala transactions and resulted in the freezing of 1,424 bank accounts. Authorities attached properties worth ₹17.82 crore and seized 500 detonators along with ₹12 lakh in cash. The operation led to the arrest of 18 people involved in the network.
Network Operations and Key Arrests
The network trafficked narcotics across the borders of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh through the Death Triangle Corridor, orchestrating cross-border routing of Methamphetamine and Heroin across the Myanmar–Mizoram–Manipur–Assam–Tripura corridor into mainland India and Bangladesh. Key figures neutralized in prior phases included Thangcintuang (arrested from Delhi), Vungkhanthawna (key facilitator arrested and detained under PITNDPS Act), Lalrampari (primary hawala operator arrested by NCB on 08.08.2024), and Abu Saleh @ Saifuddin (Assam Corridor Logistics Head arrested from Cachar, Assam on 20.11.2025).
Strategic Context and Government Commitment
Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the offensive attests to India's resolve to realize the mission of eradicating every drug network by 31 December 2029. The operation exemplifies the shift from a seizure-centric to a network-centric and financial disruption approach as outlined in the Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026-2029). The government emphasized its commitment to continue hammering until the last nail is driven into the coffin of drug cartels.