Photo Courtesy: northeasttoday
Aizawl: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a series of raids on June 4 across nine locations in Mizoram as part of an investigation into a cross-border areca nut smuggling racket. The agency targeted premises in Champhai, a border town, linked to local facilitators involved in bringing large quantities of Burmese areca nuts, known as Burmese supari, into India.
Investigators believe the network operates through a sophisticated system of illicit trade. According to the ED, smugglers transport the goods across the Tiau River and store them in local warehouses. The operation allegedly relies on forged documents and fake billing practices, which allow the group to pass off smuggled shipments as legitimate local produce.
The agency further claims that some individuals exploited their local tribal status to pose as claimants before customs authorities. By using fabricated import records, these figures reportedly secured the release of seized consignments. The resulting profits were allegedly laundered through various financial channels to hide their illicit origins.
These searches were conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Officials stated that the probe remains active, with further updates expected following a thorough review of the documents and materials seized during the operation.
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