In a major crackdown on cross-border narcotics trafficking, the Border Security Force (BSF) Tripura, in coordination with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Agartala, seized Yaba tablets worth approximately Rs 16 crore during a joint operation in the Sepahijala district on the intervening night of October 12 and 13.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs regarding the storage of a large consignment of Yaba tablets at a residence in Madhya Boxanagar under Kalamchoura Police Station, BSF personnel and NCB officials launched a coordinated operation from 11:10 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

During the search, the joint team discovered 16 packets wrapped in brown tape buried inside the kitchen area of the house belonging to Lipiyara Khatun (33), wife of Amal Hussain. Upon opening the packets, officials found approximately 16 kilograms (around 1,60,000 tablets) of Yaba — a methamphetamine-based narcotic — with an estimated international market value of Rs 16 crore.

The recovered narcotics and the detained woman were handed over to NCB Agartala for further legal action and investigation.

A senior BSF officer lauded the successful coordination between BSF and NCB, stating that the seizure reflects their continued commitment to curbing drug smuggling along the Indo-Bangladesh border.

Yaba tablets, often called the “madness drug,” are a dangerous combination of methamphetamine and caffeine, trafficked extensively from across the border into India through the Northeastern states.