A man from Assam has been arrested with over 620 grams of heroin in east Mizoram’s Champhai district during a joint anti-narcotics operation, officials said on May 21.

The accused, a resident of Lokanathpur in Assam’s Cachar district, was apprehended during a joint operation carried out by the Mizoram Excise and Narcotics Department along with the Assam Rifles on the Zote bypass road in the early hours of Thursday.

According to officials, authorities recovered heroin packed in 50 soap cases from his possession. The narcotics department said the seized consignment had allegedly been smuggled from Myanmar and was being transported to Assam.

A truck allegedly used for transporting the heroin was also seized during the operation.

The accused has been booked under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

Officials said Mizoram has witnessed multiple anti-drug crackdowns this year. Since January, enforcement agencies have seized 11 kg of heroin, 56 kg of methamphetamine, 113.9 kg of ganja and 11,543 litres of Indian-made foreign liquor during various operations across the state.