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100 Crore Hawala Trail Exposed! | Operation Trident
Operation Trident targeted a suspected cross-border drug network across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur, uncovering Rs.100 crore in hawala transactions.
38 Raids, 18 Arrests, 1,424 Accounts Frozen! Inside Operation Trident
India has launched a major crackdown on a suspected international drug trafficking network operating across the Northeast.
Operation Trident, the operation took place on 23 October 2026. Teams from several agencies carried out simultaneous searches at 38 locations across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur.
According to the government, 18 people were arrested, 1,424 bank accounts were frozen and hawala transactions worth nearly Rs.100 crore were identified.The operation targeted both the movement of illegal drugs and the financial networks suspected of supporting the trade.
What Is Operation Trident?
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) led Operation Trident in coordination with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Mizoram Police and other agencies. The teams conducted searches in locations including Aizawl, Champhai and Zokhawthar in Mizoram, Churachandpur in Manipur and the Cachar area of Assam.
The operation aimed to disrupt the suspected network’s transport routes, local contacts and financial operations.
Officials also reported attaching properties worth Rs.17.82 crore and seizing 500 detonators and Rs.12 lakh in cash.
How Did the Suspected Drug Network Operate?
According to investigators, the network moved drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine from Myanmar into India. The suspected routes passed through Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Tripura. The drugs were then allegedly transported to other parts of India and Bangladesh.
Investigators believe the network relied on multiple people to move consignments, arrange transport and manage payments.
By conducting raids in several locations at the same time, agencies sought to target different parts of the suspected operation rather than focusing only on drug seizures at the border.
What Is the Rs.100 Crore Hawala Trail?
One of the major findings announced by the government was the identification of hawala transactions worth nearly Rs.100 crore linked to the suspected network.
Hawala is a system of transferring money through intermediaries, often without the money physically moving through a conventional bank-to-bank transfer. Hawala is not automatically illegal. However, investigators can examine such transactions when they suspect that money is being used to support criminal activity.
During Operation Trident, authorities froze 1,424 bank accounts. The government also reported attaching properties worth Rs.17.82 crore. These actions were intended to disrupt the financial arrangements that investigators believe helped the suspected drug network operate.
Who Is Thangcintuang, Also Known as Chintuang?
Investigators identified a Myanmar-based man named Thangcintuang, also known as Chintuang or Tluanga, as a key figure in the suspected trafficking network.
The Narcotics Control Bureau arrested him in Delhi in May 2026 following an investigation into cross-border drug trafficking.= According to the NCB, he was wanted in multiple drug-related cases and was suspected of helping organise the movement of heroin and methamphetamine through routes connecting Myanmar with India's Northeast.
Investigators also identified other suspected associates, including people allegedly involved in logistics and money transfers. His arrest formed part of the wider investigation into the network targeted by Operation Trident. The allegations against the accused remain subject to the legal process.
Why Were Assam, Mizoram and Manipur Targeted?
These states are important to India's efforts to counter cross-border drug trafficking because they lie along routes connecting the country with Myanmar.
Myanmar is part of the region commonly known as the Golden Triangle, which also includes Laos and Thailand. The region has long been associated with the production and trafficking of illegal drugs. Investigators believe trafficking networks use routes through India's Northeast to move drugs further into India and towards Bangladesh.
What Did Amit Shah Say About the Crackdown?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised the agencies involved in Operation Trident. He said the government aims to eliminate every drug network by 31 December 2029. The operation is part of the government's wider effort to target drug trafficking networks and the money systems suspected of supporting them.
However, the longer-term impact will depend on the continuing investigation, legal action against suspects and efforts to prevent the networks from operating again.
Operation Trident has reported significant arrests and financial action. Investigators must now establish the roles of the suspects and build the cases against those accused of involvement in the network.