The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried out its first-ever searches along the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram, alongside locations in Assam and Gujarat, in a money laundering case linked to drug trafficking, officials said.
The agency seized Rs 35 lakh in cash and several digital devices during the operations conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Searches took place across Aizawl and Champhai in Mizoram, Sribhumi in Karimganj district of Assam, and Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
The probe follows a Mizoram Police FIR concerning the seizure of 4.72 kg of heroin worth Rs 1.41 crore from six individuals. ED officials said the operations at Champhai mark the first time the agency has conducted raids directly along the India-Myanmar border, which stretches 1,643 km along India’s eastern frontier.
Also read: Over 31,000 Myanmar nationals under biometric drive in Mizoram
A financial analysis of the accused revealed links between Mizoram-based firms and certain Gujarat companies. The Gujarat firms supplied pseudoephedrine tablets and caffeine anhydrous, pre-precursor chemicals used in methamphetamine production, to Mizoram entities allegedly connected to drug smugglers who use hawala networks along Champhai.
Some Mizoram entities were also found to have transactions with Kolkata-based shell companies that procured the caffeine anhydrous consignment. Officials said precursor chemicals are transported from India to Myanmar through the porous border, manufactured into methamphetamine, and then smuggled back into India, primarily through Mizoram.
Analysis of bank accounts associated with narco-hawala operators uncovered deposits totalling Rs 52.8 crore, including cash deposits in Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, West Bengal, Tripura, and Delhi. ED officials said questioning of hawala operators continues at several locations during the raids.
The operation highlights the growing focus of federal agencies on cross-border drug trafficking networks and the financial channels that sustain them.
Follow us
