The sleuths of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and BSF sized a huge cache of Yaba tablets worth Rs 8.53 from a hideout in Tripura along Indo-Bangladesh border.

Officials of BSF and DRI accompanied by the para-military troopers seized around 1, 68,500 Yaba tablets destined for Bangladesh in two cartons from a house at border village Matinagar-Rayermura under western Tripura’s Sepahijala district.

“Acting on a tip off, we along with the DRI officials cordoned off the house of one Ishan Bhuiyan at Matinagar-Rayermura village and later recovered the Yaba drugs contained in two cartons wrapped with black polythene,” BSF DIG CL Belwa said.

He said that the drugs consignment valued at Rs 8.53 crore was about to ferry across the border and just before that the BSF and the DRI officials seized the drugs.

“The house owner Ishan Bhuiyan and his two associates Tunu Mia and Soyan Mia managed to escape before the BSF troopers and other officials reached the border village.

However, the DRI officials have launched a search operation to nab the smugglers,” said Belwa.

Subsequently, two small cars were also seized from the house of Ishan Bhuiyan, who has been involved for years in illegal trades between India and Bangladesh.

The Yaba tablets a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine, contained a dangerous chemical compound and use as a high dosage drugs by the people mostly youths in India, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries.

The Yaba tablets and various other drugs including heroin and brown sugar are smuggling into northeastern states from neighbouring Myanmar and smuggle to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and different Indian states and other adjoining countries.

The police chiefs of eight northeastern states last month have decided to intensify their efforts to curb the drug menace as the region, bordering China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, have turned into a corridor for drug smuggling.