OPERATION TRIDENT STRIKES THE NORTHEAST’S NARCO NETWORK: 18 ARRESTED AS ₹100-CRORE HAWALA TRAIL EMERGES
October 25, 2026
NEW DELHI: A coordinated anti-narcotics crackdown across India’s Northeast has targeted an international drug-trafficking cartel, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah announcing 18 arrests and the exposure of hawala transactions worth approximately ₹100 crore under Operation Trident.
The operation was conducted on October 23, with central agencies and police forces carrying out simultaneous action at 38 locations across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur. The multi-state operation sought to disrupt a suspected trafficking network operating across the India–Myanmar–Bangladesh border region, an area that presents persistent challenges for efforts to prevent the movement of illicit narcotics.
Announcing the operation’s results on Sunday, October 25, Shah described the crackdown as another major blow against drug-trafficking networks. According to the figures he shared, investigators uncovered hawala transactions valued at ₹100 crore, froze 1,424 bank accounts and attached properties worth ₹17.82 crore. Authorities also seized ₹12 lakh in cash and 500 detonators, while 18 people were arrested in connection with the operation.
The financial findings highlight the importance of tracing the money behind organised narcotics trafficking. Hawala networks can facilitate the transfer of funds outside conventional banking channels, making financial investigation an important component of efforts to identify suspected criminal networks, follow their transactions and disrupt their operations. The freezing of bank accounts and attachment of properties represent measures aimed at restricting access to funds and assets allegedly connected with the targeted network.
Shah said the cartel trafficked narcotics across the borders of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh through what he described as the “Death Triangle Corridor”. The alleged cross-border reach of the network underscores the need for coordination among enforcement agencies operating in the northeastern states, where difficult terrain and international borders complicate the task of identifying and intercepting illicit consignments.
The seizure of 500 detonators was another significant element of the operation, although the circumstances surrounding their possession and their precise connection to the suspected trafficking network will require investigation. The arrests and seizures form part of a broader effort to dismantle the organisational and financial structures that enable drug trafficking to persist beyond individual consignments or isolated arrests.
The Home Minister also reiterated the government’s stated objective of eliminating drug-trafficking networks by December 31, 2029. The target places renewed emphasis on sustained enforcement, intelligence-sharing and coordinated action against organised narcotics operations. Shah congratulated the anti-narcotics personnel and police forces of Assam, Mizoram and Manipur for their role in the operation.
Operation Trident signals an approach that combines enforcement action against suspected traffickers with financial measures intended to weaken the networks supporting their activities. The scale of the reported raids, the number of accounts frozen and the value of the suspected hawala transactions indicate the breadth of the investigation. Further scrutiny will be necessary to establish the full structure of the network, determine individual responsibility and bring the cases against those arrested through the legal process.
With the government maintaining its December 2029 target, the challenge ahead will be to translate individual operations into sustained disruption of narcotics supply chains and their financial infrastructure. The results announced under Operation Trident mark a significant enforcement action in the Northeast, while the continuing investigation will determine how far the operation has dismantled the suspected cartel and exposed the wider network behind its activities.
