Human rights activist Suhas Chakma, Director of the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), has cautioned that India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar have effectively become the “New Golden Triangle” for narcotics trafficking.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Chakma urged Indian authorities to take seriously the alleged involvement of Bangladesh’s Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) in the illegal drug trade, warning that ignoring the issue could have grave consequences for India’s northeastern states.
Chakma specifically warned Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha that overlooking the PCJSS’s alleged role in trafficking would be “at their own peril.” He noted that Jyotirindra Bodhipriyo Larma, widely known as Santu Larma, the PCJSS chief, heads the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council, a legally constituted local government body under what he termed “one of the most hostile governments to India,” referring to the interim government of Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus.
“The main risks from failed states are terrorism, arms smuggling, drug smuggling, and human trafficking,” Chakma said, adding, “Burma, a classic failed state, was infamous for the Golden Triangle comprising parts of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. Today, Myanmar, India, and Bangladesh have become the new Golden Triangle. Infamous drug lord Khun Sa is no longer alive, but the involvement of foreign armed groups in drug trafficking in India poses a serious threat.”
His warning follows a Gauhati High Court judgment dated September 5, 2024, which identified the PCJSS as a terrorist organisation in connection with a 2013 arms seizure case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Recent intelligence reports suggest the group continues to be active in smuggling operations.
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On October 18, 2025, Bangladeshi security forces seized 150 cartons of Burmese cigarettes, 90 bottles of country liquor, and two pistols allegedly linked to the PCJSS following a social media tip-off. Earlier, on June 19, 2025, the Assam Rifles recovered narcotics worth Rs 10 crore from Lunglei, Mizoram, also believed to be associated with the outfit.
Chakma also highlighted the growing number of drug-related cases involving members of the Chakma community in Mizoram since 2024. At least six cases have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the Lunglei District and Sessions Court. However, he acknowledged that directly linking those arrested to the PCJSS could be difficult, as “couriers often have no knowledge of the cartels they work for.”
According to Chakma, Mizoram and Tripura are now “flooded with drugs,” and authorities are struggling to control the influx. Mizoram has emerged as a major entry point for narcotics from Myanmar, with the state’s Excise and Narcotics Department registering 87 cases and arresting 112 individuals in Champhai district alone between January and September 2025.
“Drugs kill without discrimination, destroying the youth, the future of our country,” Chakma warned. “When a foreign armed group like the PCJSS, enjoying political power under a hostile government in Bangladesh, engages in smuggling everything from drugs to cosmetics, India cannot afford to address it through routine approaches,” he added.
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