AGARTALA, Sep 11 (TIWN): Mizoram, Nagaland, Myanmar, Assam, Tripura & Bangladesh corridor is being used by drug cartels to smuggle hundreds of crores heroin, brown sugar, contrabands to rest fo India and International markets. Union Minister of State for Home KirenRijiju this week underlined the need for the creation of joint mechanisms between India and its neighbours to tackle drug trafficking and infiltrations. Rijiju said, Development and security go hand in hand, adding that although India had fenced its borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, drug trafficking and illegal crossings were nevertheless occurring. Massive Drug trafficking, hundreds of crores of Heroin, Brown Sugar smuggling across Northeast, Tripura’s border regions funding narco-terrorism which is a serious concern for Union Home Ministry. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said drug trafficking poses a serious threat to global security and called upon the BRICS nations to come together to collectively fight against the menace. BSF 159th Battalion confiscated brown sugar, contrabands worth Rs 1.5 crores from Silchar-Agartala train in Panisagar, North Tripura in July this year. Most of the pharmacy shops engaged in selling contraband items like phensedyl, correx, drugs, and tablets in broad day light without any prescriptions to drug addicts everyday. An investigation done by TIWN team found that all contraband items like phensedyl, correx, drug tablets are easily available over counters at most of the pharmacy shops in Agartala.

Organized narcotics business in Tripura, smuggling drugs to Bangladesh will easily cross over Rs. 100 crores every year. 

Delivering the keynote address on day two of FICCI-India Foundation convention on 'Homeland Security-2016: Smart Borders Management'  at Delhi , Rijiju said India's security apparatus can be "strengthened only by promoting trade and commerce on both sides of the border".

Lauding the armed forces that were actively engaged in securing the land borders and coastlines of the country, he said there was a need to recognise their efforts so as to further encourage them to carry out their duties in a robust manner.