ED freezes over 100 'mule' accounts, seizes Rs 70 lakh cash in cocaine trafficking case

The Enforcement Directorate has frozen 110 "mule" bank accounts, seized Rs 70 lakh in cash and found usage of Dubai-based cryptocurrency wallets during searches in a money laundering case linked to alleged drug trafficking in Delhi, a statement said on Sunday.

Mule bank accounts are used to transfer illicit funds and are opened by misusing genuine or using fake customer IDs.

The raids were undertaken on November 14 after the federal probe agency took cognisance of a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) complaint of November 2024 related to the seizure of 82.53 kg of "high-grade" cocaine.

The ED covered five premises in Delhi-NCR and Jaipur during the searches.

The seized party drug was estimated to be worth Rs 900 crore by the NCB and five persons were arrested by the central anti-narcotics agency.

"The searches indicated an online betting and gambling network being operated through mobile-based applications.

"The operation resulted in the freezing of 110 mule bank accounts, including 73 linked with UPI IDs and digital wallets that were actively being used for handling transactions related to the betting operations," the ED statement said.

Some documents and digital devices seized during the searches show the use of Dubai-based cryptocurrency wallets for the transfer of funds, it said.

Rs 70 lakh cash, "incriminating" documents, digital devices and financial records were also seized, the ED said.