Border drug probe uncovers Rs 142-crore financial network
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Aizawl, Jun 9
The Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s Aizawl Sub-Zonal Office yesterday widened its crackdown on an alleged cross-border narcotics syndicate, conducting searches in Mizoram, Tripura and West Bengal after tracing suspicious financial transactions worth more than Rs 142 crore linked to a major methamphetamine trafficking case.
The coordinated operation forms part of an ongoing money laundering investigation arising from one of the largest drug seizures reported in the region last year.
According to the ED, investigators are examining an extensive network that allegedly moved narcotics from Myanmar into India while simultaneously operating a sophisticated system to channel and conceal the proceeds generated from the illicit trade.
The investigation stems from a case registered by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Agartala Zonal Unit, following the interception of a vehicle convoy in Mizoram on August 21, 2025.
During that operation, NCB officials seized 49.101 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 40 grams of heroin along National Highway-06A and arrested eight individuals.
The offences registered under the NDPS Act subsequently enabled the ED to initiate a parallel probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The financial investigation has since expanded far beyond the original seizure.
According to the agency, evidence gathered so far points to an organised trafficking chain stretching across international and state boundaries.
The contraband is alleged to have originated from suppliers operating in Myanmar before being smuggled into India through the Champhai-Zokhawthar border sector in eastern Mizoram.
Investigators believe the narcotics were then transported through a network of handlers and couriers to recipients based in Tripura.
While the movement of drugs formed one part of the operation, the ED said its current focus is on tracking the money generated through the trafficking network.
Officials allege that proceeds from the illegal trade were routed through multiple bank accounts, including accounts held by Myanmar Nationals using addresses in border areas. The agency also suspects the involvement of shell businesses, intermediary entities, cash transactions and informal hawala channels in disguising the origin of the funds.
As the financial trail unfolded, investigators identified suspicious credits exceeding Rs 142 crore, indicating what officials described as a substantial laundering operation linked to narcotics trafficking.
Among the premises searched on Monday was a residence in Zokhawthar village in Champhai district, one of the busiest crossing points along the India-Myanmar border.
The ED said it detected transactions exceeding Rs 33 crore in a bank account associated with a resident of the border village, prompting a search of the premises.
Searches were also conducted in Tripura and West Bengal as investigators pursued individuals and entities suspected of playing key roles in the movement or laundering of funds connected to the alleged syndicate.
The agency named Anowar Hossain, also known as Suman Mia or Crorepati Suman, and Jashim Mia of Sonamura in Tripura's Sepahijala district as persons linked to the investigation.
Both have been identified by investigators as alleged recipients of the narcotics shipment intercepted by the NCB.
In West Bengal, the ED searched premises connected to M/s Riju Enterprises, a proprietorship concern located in North 24 Parganas district. The firm is suspected of having been used as a channel for routing proceeds generated through the illegal trade.
The ED also highlighted earlier arrests made by the NCB, including that of Chintluang alias Tluanga, whom investigators described as a major supplier based in Myanmar, and Jabrul Haque, alleged to have facilitated transportation of the contraband within India.
Although the agency has not disclosed details of materials recovered during today's searches, officials said documents and financial records are being examined as part of the continuing probe.
The case has drawn attention to the growing challenge posed by transnational drug trafficking networks operating along the India-Myanmar frontier and the increasingly complex financial systems used to move and conceal illicit profits.
With the money trail now stretching across multiple States and international borders, enforcement agencies are expected to intensify efforts to identify additional suspects, trace assets and determine the full scale of the alleged laundering operation.
The investigation remains ongoing.
UNI
The Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s Aizawl Sub-Zonal Office yesterday widened its crackdown on an alleged cross-border narcotics syndicate, conducting searches in Mizoram, Tripura and West Bengal after tracing suspicious financial transactions worth more than Rs 142 crore linked to a major methamphetamine trafficking case.
The coordinated operation forms part of an ongoing money laundering investigation arising from one of the largest drug seizures reported in the region last year.
According to the ED, investigators are examining an extensive network that allegedly moved narcotics from Myanmar into India while simultaneously operating a sophisticated system to channel and conceal the proceeds generated from the illicit trade.
The investigation stems from a case registered by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Agartala Zonal Unit, following the interception of a vehicle convoy in Mizoram on August 21, 2025.
During that operation, NCB officials seized 49.101 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 40 grams of heroin along National Highway-06A and arrested eight individuals.
The offences registered under the NDPS Act subsequently enabled the ED to initiate a parallel probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The financial investigation has since expanded far beyond the original seizure.
According to the agency, evidence gathered so far points to an organised trafficking chain stretching across international and state boundaries.
The contraband is alleged to have originated from suppliers operating in Myanmar before being smuggled into India through the Champhai-Zokhawthar border sector in eastern Mizoram.
Investigators believe the narcotics were then transported through a network of handlers and couriers to recipients based in Tripura.
While the movement of drugs formed one part of the operation, the ED said its current focus is on tracking the money generated through the trafficking network.
Officials allege that proceeds from the illegal trade were routed through multiple bank accounts, including accounts held by Myanmar Nationals using addresses in border areas. The agency also suspects the involvement of shell businesses, intermediary entities, cash transactions and informal hawala channels in disguising the origin of the funds.
As the financial trail unfolded, investigators identified suspicious credits exceeding Rs 142 crore, indicating what officials described as a substantial laundering operation linked to narcotics trafficking.
Among the premises searched on Monday was a residence in Zokhawthar village in Champhai district, one of the busiest crossing points along the India-Myanmar border.
The ED said it detected transactions exceeding Rs 33 crore in a bank account associated with a resident of the border village, prompting a search of the premises.
Searches were also conducted in Tripura and West Bengal as investigators pursued individuals and entities suspected of playing key roles in the movement or laundering of funds connected to the alleged syndicate.
The agency named Anowar Hossain, also known as Suman Mia or Crorepati Suman, and Jashim Mia of Sonamura in Tripura's Sepahijala district as persons linked to the investigation.
Both have been identified by investigators as alleged recipients of the narcotics shipment intercepted by the NCB.
In West Bengal, the ED searched premises connected to M/s Riju Enterprises, a proprietorship concern located in North 24 Parganas district. The firm is suspected of having been used as a channel for routing proceeds generated through the illegal trade.
The ED also highlighted earlier arrests made by the NCB, including that of Chintluang alias Tluanga, whom investigators described as a major supplier based in Myanmar, and Jabrul Haque, alleged to have facilitated transportation of the contraband within India.
Although the agency has not disclosed details of materials recovered during today's searches, officials said documents and financial records are being examined as part of the continuing probe.
The case has drawn attention to the growing challenge posed by transnational drug trafficking networks operating along the India-Myanmar frontier and the increasingly complex financial systems used to move and conceal illicit profits.
With the money trail now stretching across multiple States and international borders, enforcement agencies are expected to intensify efforts to identify additional suspects, trace assets and determine the full scale of the alleged laundering operation.
The investigation remains ongoing.
UNI