Operation Trident: 18 held, ₹100 crore hawala traced in Northeast drug raids
The Union Home Ministry said on 25 October that "Operation Trident" busted a narco-hawala network running drugs from Myanmar into the Northeast. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) led raids at 38 locations in Assam, Mizoram and Manipur with State police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Eighteen people were arrested and about ₹100 crore of hawala transactions were detected.
Why in news
What was seized: 1,424 bank accounts frozen. Assets worth about ₹17.82 crore attached. 500 detonators and ₹12 lakh cash seized. Where the raids took place: Mizoram: Aizawl, Champhai and Zokhawthar (a border town facing Myanmar). Manipur: Churachandpur. Assam: the Cachar transit corridor. How the money moved: Myanmar-based organisers hired local carriers to move drugs across the India–Myanmar–Bangladesh border belt, which the ED called the "Death Triangle Corridor". Drug cash was pushed into banks through mini-ATM and customer service point (CSP) counters. One counter, code-named "Nuniang", made 2,947 transfers worth ₹175.03 crore between 2024 and June 2026. Home Minister Amit Shah set a target of ending every drug network by 31 December 2029.
Prelims pointers
- The NCB was set up in 1986 under the NDPS Act, 1985 and works under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- The ED enforces the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 and FEMA, 1999. It works under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
- Golden Triangle = Myanmar, Laos and Thailand (opium/heroin, methamphetamine). Golden Crescent = Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
- India shares a 1,643 km border with Myanmar, touching Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
- Hawala is an informal money-transfer system that moves value without moving money through banks.
Mains angle
The case shows that following the money hurts cartels more than seizing a consignment. It also exposes a weak point in financial inclusion: agent-banking counters built for the poor can be misused for laundering. Lasting results need: Tighter anti-money-laundering checks at mini-ATM and CSP points. Border fencing and intelligence-sharing with Myanmar. Coordination among NCB, ED, Assam Rifles and State police. De-addiction and rehabilitation in border districts.
