‘India will hammer drug cartels’: Amit Shah hails Operation Trident that unearthed hawala network

A series of simultaneous raids across Assam, Mizoram, and Manipur have resulted in the arrest of 18 individuals and the freezing of 1,424 bank accounts, exposing hawala transactions totaling Rs 100 crore. The operation, named Operation Trident, dismantled an international narcotics cartel with roots in Myanmar, led by a drug lord who was apprehended earlier this year.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the operation on X, stating that it targeted the cartel's financial and logistical infrastructure across the Death Triangle Corridor, which connects India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. The raids, conducted on October 23, resulted in the seizure of 500 detonators and Rs 12 lakh in cash, as well as the attachment of properties worth Rs 17.82 crore.

Operation Trident involved 38 teams from central agencies and police forces, which conducted joint operations at 38 key locations. The cartel, allegedly operating through the Aizawl, Champhai, and Zokhawthar areas, trafficked narcotics using a complex network of routes. Amit Shah emphasized that India would continue its efforts to eliminate drug cartels until the last nail was driven into their coffin, with the goal of achieving this by December 31, 2029.