Meghalaya Police intercepted and searched a passenger bus at Nongpoh to recover substantial quantity of heroin, officials informed on Friday.

Initial reports suggested that a night service bus traveling from Silchar and heading to Guwahati bearing registration numbers AS 24 AC 1152 was intercepted at a naka check post at Nongpoh in the Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya.

The police had specific intelligence inputs of a heroin smuggling bid based on which the naka checking was installed. During the checking, the bus was stopped and searched when the heroin cache was found inside it.

Officials informed that as many as 30 soap cases filled with heroin were found and seized during the operation. The total consignment weighed at around 921 grams.

The seized heroin was estimated by officials to be worth around Rs 9 crores in the international illicit narcotics markets.

Meanwhile, the driver and co-pilot of the passenger bus were arrested along with an infamous inter-state drug trafficker on charges of smuggling narcotics.

On the other hand, in another anti-narcotics drive, North Garo Hills Police's Anti-Narcotics Task Force arrested a smuggler and seized 3.4 grams of heroin from his possession.

The arrested narcotics smuggler was identified by officials as one Helial K Sangma, a resident of Tura's Spring Hills.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma took to X to write, "A significant drug bust! Kudos to @ribhoipolice for orchestrating a well executed, intelligence-driven operation that led to the recovery of a huge cache of Heroin worth ₹9 Crores! 3 notorious interstate drug traffickers are apprehended. Keep it up @lrbishnoiips and team!"

"Our relentless fight against the drug scourge will continue unabated and we are fully committed for #DrugFreeMeghalaya," added the CM.