Archive · 9 Dec 2025
Myanmar Drugs Threaten India's Northeast Security
Drugs from Myanmar are becoming a big problem in India's Northeast.
After the military took control in Myanmar in 2021, groups there started making and selling more drugs like methamphetamine and heroin.
These drugs are coming into India through states like Mizoram, Assam, and Manipur.
The amount of drugs seized has gone up a lot, showing that this is a serious issue.
These drugs not only harm people's health but also threaten India's security.
Groups involved in drug trafficking use the money to buy weapons and attract young people.
India needs to treat this as a big security problem and work with Myanmar to stop the drugs.
Drug production in Myanmar, especially methamphetamine, has surged since the 2021 coup, making it the global epicenter for meth production.
Record seizures of drugs like methamphetamine and Yaba tablets in Northeast India indicate a growing crisis, with a 500% increase in Amphetamine-type stimulants from 2020 to 2024.
Drugs enter India primarily through Mizoram, with significant seizures also reported in Assam, Manipur, Tripura, and Nagaland.
The drug trade poses a national security threat, funding insurgent groups and potentially corrupt state actors, and contributing to health crises like high HIV prevalence in Mizoram.
India must treat drug trafficking as a national security issue and engage with Myanmar's Ethnic Armed Organizations to combat the problem.
- Who
- Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) in Myanmar, Chinese syndicates, Bangladeshi cartels (including Rohingya groups)
- What
- Increased drug trafficking of methamphetamine, heroin, and Yaba tablets from Myanmar into Northeast India
- When
- Significant increase post-2021 Myanmar coup, with record seizures in 2024
- Where
- Northeast India (Mizoram, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland), Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Why
- Political instability in Myanmar, financial needs of EAOs, and global supply chain shifts due to Taliban's poppy ban in Afghanistan
- Primary Source
- Myanmar
- Main Drugs
- Methamphetamine, Heroin, Yaba
- Key Regions Affected
- Northeast India (Mizoram, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland)
- Seizure Increase
- 500% increase in Amphetamine-type stimulants from 2020 to 2024
- Largest Seizure
- 6000 tonnes of methamphetamine (Rs 36,000 crores) in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, November 2024
- HIV Prevalence in Mizoram
- 2.7% (far above national average of 0.2%)
- Price Range per Pill
- Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000