Assam Police seize 350 quintals Burmese areca nuts, 2 detained

Guwahati: The Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police has seized 350 quintals of Burmese areca nuts that were being illegally transported to Madhya Pradesh through Assam.

Based on a tip-off, sleuths of the STF intercepted a truck, bearing registration number UP82-AT-9208, at Bagori in Nagaon district of Assam, which was on its way from Nagaland’s Dimapur to Madhya Pradesh, through Assam’s Golaghat district.

During a thorough search of the truck, the team of STF recovered 350 quintals of Burmese areca nuts that were being illegally transported without any valid documents.

The STF seized the consignment of Burmese areca nuts and the truck, and detained the driver and handyman of the truck, who were also the owners of the vehicle.

The seized items and the apprehended individuals were later handed over to the Bagori police for further investigation.

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Smuggling of areca nuts from Myanmar to India is quite rampant through the porous borders of Manipur and Mizoram. 

After making its way into India, these smuggled areca nuts are then transported to other parts of the country via Nagaland and Assam through multimodal routes.

Despite its harmful effects, the areca nuts, also called betel nuts, are widely chewed in many parts of India. 

A high-level probe was ordered in India in the year 2021 over smuggling of areca nuts from the neighbouring countries. 

Smuggling of Burmese areca nuts, however, is going on unabated from Myanmar to India through the porous borders of the Northeastern states.