ED conducts first-ever raids along India-Myanmar border, uncovers narco-hawala links

In a first-of-its-kind operation in Champai, a Mizoram town bordering Myanmar, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted searches under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Raids were also conducted at various locations across Aizawl and Champhai in Mizoram, Sribhumi (Karimganj) in Assam and Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

ED had initiated the investigation on the basis of FIR registered by Mizoram Police u/s 21(C)/25/29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS), Act, 1985, and seized 4.724 kg of heroin valued at over Rs 1.41 crore from six individuals.

From financial analysis of the arrested persons, linkages between Mizoram based firms and Gujarat based firms were established.

Gujarat based firms supplied Pseudoephedrine tablets (Schedule-A, B, C substances in the NDPS-RCS Order 2013) and Caffeine Anhydrous (Pre-Precursor used in manufacturing of Methamphetamine Tablets) to firms based in Mizoram, with links to drug smugglers who carry out their smuggling and hawala transactions through habitual offenders of Champhai, Mizoram.

Financial linkages of the Mizoram based firms have also been found with Kolkata based shell entities, who had procured the said consignment of Caffeine Anhydrous.

The precursors used in the production of Methamphetamine are transported from India to Myanmar through the porous international borders, where they are manufactured, and the final products are transported from Myanmar to India majorly through Mizoram.

Huge credits of Rs 52.8 crore were noted in bank accounts of Narco hawala operators including cash deposits in Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, West Bengal, Tripura and Delhi.

The detailed recording of statements of Narco hawala operators are going on.

During the investigation under PMLA and search proceedings, cash amounting to Rs 35 lakh was also found along with other evidences in digital devices, which are being examined.