The Mizoram government is intensifying efforts to combat the smuggling of areca nuts from Myanmar, which has inflicted severe economic harm on local cultivators and contributed to the proliferation of unregulated “black money.” Home Minister K Sapdanga highlighted that from 2019 to 2025, 468 smuggling cases have been registered, resulting in 292 arrests. The illegally imported areca nuts evade mandatory import duties, violating the Customs Act, and are sold at significantly lower prices, undermining local growers’ ability to compete. Sapdanga emphasized the government’s “zero-tolerance” policy towards this illegal trade, asserting that individuals, including government officials, implicated in these activities will face consequences. He also criticized the involvement of certain politicians and law enforcement agents in the smuggling operations and reaffirmed the intention to maintain a strict ban and enhance border surveillance.
