Reported by Roopak Goswami
Guwahati: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has unearthed a suspected Rs 142-crore money laundering network linked to cross-border drug trafficking from Myanmar, carrying out raids across Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal as part of an ongoing investigation.
The searches, conducted on June 8 by the ED’s Aizawl Sub-Zonal Office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), are tied to a major narcotics case in which the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized 49.1 kg of methamphetamine tablets and heroin in Mizoram and arrested eight persons.
According to the ED, investigations have revealed a well-organised interstate and transnational syndicate that allegedly smuggled methamphetamine from Myanmar into India through the Champhai-Zokhawthar corridor in Mizoram before distributing it to receivers in Tripura.
The agency said the drug proceeds were laundered through a web of bank accounts, shell entities, cash transactions and hawala channels, with suspicious credits exceeding Rs 142 crore detected so far.
The crackdown targeted four key suspects and entities linked to the syndicate in Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal. Among them were alleged receivers of the drug consignment, a Mizoram-based woman whose bank account reportedly received more than Rs 33 crore, and a business entity suspected of facilitating the movement of illicit funds.
In a significant find, investigators discovered more than 25 CCTV cameras installed on trees around the residences of two suspects located near the India-Bangladesh border, apparently to monitor movement along forested border routes.
ED officials, assisted by CRPF and BSF personnel, also seized digital devices, financial records and other incriminating material during the searches.
The agency said the investigation has already led to the identification of key players in the network, including a Myanmar-based supplier and a transportation facilitator, both of whom were earlier arrested by the NCB.
The case highlights the growing nexus between cross-border narcotics trafficking and sophisticated financial networks operating along India’s eastern frontier.
Further investigations are underway.