Two women, including a Myanmar national, were apprehended by Assam Rifles on the charge of possessing heroin valued at Rs 60 lakh in Mizoram’s Aizawl district, an official said on Tuesday.

The operation was carried out at Sateek area by personnel of Assam Rifles in collaboration with the special narcotics squad (CID) of state police in Aizawl based on specific information on Monday, the official said.

The combined team recovered 120 grams of heroin from the possession of the two women aged 50 and 48 years respectively.

One of the accused hailed from Myanmar’s Chin state, she said.

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The arrests comes just a day after law enforcement officials had expressed concern over the deaths from drug abuse in the state. Northeast Live had reported Mizoram officials stating that 19 people had died in the first two months of 2023 compared to 43 total drug-related deaths in 2022.

“At this rate, we may possibly witness the highest number of drug-related deaths in recent times,” the news channel quoted an official.