India’s Operation Trident Nets 18 Arrests in Multi-State Drug Cartel Crackdown
Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that simultaneous raids in Assam, Mizoram and Manipur on Oct 23 led to 18 arrests and the seizure of cash, detonators and bank accounts.
On Oct 23, coordinated anti-drug operations under Operation Trident were carried out at 38 sites across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur, resulting in 18 arrests. Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the network as using the “Death Triangle Corridor” linking India, Myanmar and Bangladesh to move narcotics. The crackdown uncovered a ₹100 crore hawala trail, leading to the freezing of 1,424 bank accounts and the attachment of assets valued at ₹17.82 crore.
Seized items included 500 detonators and ₹12 lakh in cash. Shah linked the action to the Modi government’s broader campaign to dismantle drug cartels by Dec 31 2029, emphasizing a “Himalayan resolve”. Earlier, he had labeled the Golden Triangle a “death triangle” at a BIMSTEC home-minister meeting.
Why it matters
The operation shows India’s intensified effort to disrupt cross-border drug trafficking that fuels regional crime and addiction.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report the same facts about Operation Trident, including the arrests, seized assets and the minister's statements, with no substantive differences.
LEFT
Frames the crackdown as a decisive, government-led strike against a multi-state drug network, stressing the “Death Triangle Corridor” and the Modi government’s “Himalayan resolve” to dismantle cartels.
CENTER
Frames the operation as a major law-enforcement success, highlighting the scale of the raid, the financial seizures and the credit given to central agencies and police.
The left emphasises
- “Death Triangle Corridor” linking India, Myanmar and Bangladesh
- ₹100 crore hawala trail and freezing of 1,424 bank accounts
- attachment of assets valued at ₹17.82 crore and seizure of 500 detonators
In this story
