In a significant move against transnational drug trafficking networks along the India-Myanmar border, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) apprehended Thancintuang alias Chintuang alias Tluanga, a crucial Myanmar-based drug trafficker, in Delhi. Chintuang was reportedly a major distributor of methamphetamine tablets and heroin smuggled from Myanmar into India through the Northeast region. The arrest came after extensive surveillance, intelligence gathering, interstate coordination, and sustained operations by the NCB.
Chintuang was identified as a prominent trafficker operating along the Myanmar-Mizoram-Manipur-Assam-Tripura corridor, serving as a major international supplier of methamphetamine and heroin. Investigations unveiled his involvement in organizing cross-border trafficking networks that transported narcotics through Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, Tripura, India, and Bangladesh. He was wanted in multiple cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act by various drug law enforcement agencies.
The NCB revealed that Chintuang was linked to several NDPS cases valued at approximately Rs 115 crore, associated with the Myanmar-Mizoram-Tripura-Assam corridor and the Myanmar-Manipur-Assam route. He was the prime accused in cases involving significant drug seizures, including methamphetamine tablets and heroin. The investigation also led to the arrest of other members and associates of the syndicate, such as Vungkhanthawna and Lalrampari, involved in coordinating drug trafficking activities.
Authorities initiated proceedings under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act against the apprehended individuals. Financial investigations exposed hawala transactions amounting to nearly Rs 100 crore, leading to the freezing of properties suspected to be acquired through drug trafficking proceeds. The NCB’s comprehensive efforts included the arrest of Abu Saleh alias Saifuddin and Jabrul, who played significant roles in the syndicate’s interstate trafficking operations.
The NCB emphasized its intensified strategy targeting major drug kingpins in the Northeast, including those operating from outside India. Chintuang’s arrest marked the second major Myanmar-based drug supplier apprehended by the NCB in 2026. Official data indicated that the NCB registered 48 NDPS cases in the Northeast region in 2025, resulting in the arrest of 116 drug traffickers and seizure of narcotics worth around Rs 665 crore. In 2026, the agency has already registered 31 NDPS cases and arrested 54 traffickers in enforcement operations across the region.
