During the operation, the federal agency seized Rs 35 lakh in cash along with several digital devices, they added.
Searches were conducted across Aizawl and Champhai in Mizoram, Sribhumi (Karimganj) in Assam, and Ahmedabad in Gujarat under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Also Read: Shocking games: ED arrests WinZO founders in PMLA case
The investigation follows a Mizoram Police FIR concerning the seizure of 4.72 kg of heroin valued at Rs 1.41 crore from six individuals. According to ED officials, these are the first-ever searches conducted by the agency along the Champhai stretch of the India-Myanmar border. India shares a 1,643 km border with Myanmar along its eastern frontier.
A financial analysis of the arrested individuals revealed “financial linkages” between some firms in Mizoram and certain Gujarat-based companies, officials said.
They added that the Gujarat firms supplied Pseudoephedrine tablets and Caffeine Anhydrous — precursors used in the manufacture of methamphetamine tablets — to the Mizoram-based companies allegedly connected to drug smugglers operating through Champhai. These smugglers reportedly carried out hawala transactions through habitual offenders, the officials explained.Further, certain financial transactions of the Mizoram entities were traced to Kolkata-based shell companies that had procured the consignment of Caffeine Anhydrous, the ED said.“The precursor chemicals used in methamphetamine production are transported from India to Myanmar through the porous international border, where they are processed, and the final products are then brought back into India, mainly via Mizoram,” the officials added.
The agency’s analysis also revealed bank deposits totaling Rs 52.8 crore linked to narco-hawala operators, including cash deposits in Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, West Bengal, Tripura, and Delhi.
During the raids, some hawala operators are being questioned on-site, officials said, as the investigation continues into the cross-border narcotics and money-laundering network.
With inputs from PTI