# Operation Trident busts cartel, 18 held across three states 2026-10-25T05:26:45+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 6 independent outlets (7 source reports) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 25 October announced that simultaneous raids at 38 locations in Assam, Mizoram and Manipur on 23 October under Operation Trident smashed an international narco-cartel. The operation uncovered hawala transactions worth Rs 100 crore, froze 1,424 bank accounts, and attached properties valued at Rs 17.82 crore. Agencies seized 500 detonators and Rs 12 lakh in cash, and arrested 18 people, Shah said. Shah said the network trafficked narcotics across the borders of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh through what he called the Death Triangle Corridor. He described the crackdown as part of the government's mission to eliminate every drug network by 31 December 2029. Shah congratulated the anti-narcotics team comprising central agencies and police forces of the three states. Separately, Dhing police in Assam arrested a man allegedly carrying a pistol and two live rounds, though it is not clear if the arrest is linked to Operation Trident. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Three sources (greaterkashmir.com, thehindu.com, newindianexpress.com) lead with Amit Shah's 'lethal blow' and 'hammer until the last nail' language, while thehansindia.com also foregrounds the government's 31 December 2029 deadline. Three others (indiatodayne.in, indiatvnews.com, and the PTI-sourced newindianexpress.com version) report the same facts in neutral wire style. The core figures, Rs 100 crore, 1,424 accounts frozen, 18 arrests, are identical across all sources. The only new detail, an unrelated arrest by Dhing police, appears in indiatodayne.in. The coverage is uniform on substance, differing only in how prominently Shah's combative rhetoric is featured. ## Coverage Coverage: 5 sources, 3 pro-government, 2 neutral - greaterkashmir.com (pro government) Leads with Shah's quote praising Modi government - indiatodayne.in (neutral report) Straight news agency style reporting of Shah's statement - PTI - thehindu.com Leads with Shah's 'lethal blow' framing and full quote - newindianexpress.com Leads with Shah's quote 'India will hammer drug cartels' - thehansindia.com (pro government) Highlights Shah's 'hammer until last nail' rhetoric - indiatvnews.com (neutral report) Straight reporting of Shah's announcement This brief was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Update, 25 October 2026: this story now draws on 6 sources. Last updated 2026-10-25T06:26:31+00:00. Tags: Amit Shah, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Narcotics Control Bureau, Operation Trident Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/operation-trident-busts-narco-cartel-in-3-states-18-held/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/operation-trident-busts-narco-cartel-in-3-states-18-held/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/