Manipur’s Tengnoupal district police arrested three suspected drug traffickers and recovered 5.89 kg of yaba tablets during a checkpoint operation, officials said on Monday, January 12.
The suspects—identified as James Baite (28), Hatneikim Baite (50), and David T Mate (41)—were apprehended after the vehicle they were traveling in was stopped near the Tengnoupal police station, following specific intelligence inputs. The seized yaba tablets are estimated to be worth over ₹1 crore in the illegal market, highlighting a significant attempt to smuggle narcotics through the border district.
Yaba, meaning “crazy medicine” in Thai, is a tablet form of methamphetamine and a highly potent stimulant. First introduced in East Asia during World War II to enhance soldiers’ performance, it has since become a widely abused narcotic across Southeast Asia.
Police investigations are ongoing to trace the source of the drugs and uncover any connections to larger cross-border trafficking networks in the region.
