ED raids 30 locations across four southern states in drug money-laundering probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at 30 locations across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana on Thursday in connection with eight separate narcotics-related cases. The operation, part of the southern zone's crackdown under the national Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, was conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

In Tamil Nadu, the agency investigated multiple cases involving the smuggling of methamphetamine to Sri Lanka. One case stems from the June 2024 interception of two Sri Lankan nationals at the Mandapam refugee camp in Ramanathapuram, from whom about 1.47 kg of meth was seized. Another case involves the detention of an individual in Chennai's Mannady area in June 2024, where over ₹1.29 crore in cash, US $30,000, and Sri Lankan rupees were recovered. The agency alleges this money was linked to drug sales and routed through hawala channels, with instructions coordinated via a WhatsApp group.

A separate Chennai case involves the seizure of 5.97 kg of meth from an accused in July 2024, along with the impounding of ₹39.38 lakh in cash, 586 gm of gold, and 1 kg of silver. In another instance, the NCB found 2 kg of meth in a Chennai hotel room in December 2023, allegedly linked to a Sri Lankan national and an intermediary previously convicted in a drug case. The ED also searched premises related to the seizure of 54.60 kg of meth from Ambattur, focusing on properties held in the names of the accused's family members.

The fourth Tamil Nadu case involves an accused arrested in April 2025 with 950 gm of meth hydrochloride. The ED suspects proceeds from drug dealing were invested in around 54 shrimp farms in Nagapattinam and Velankanni, with searches conducted at six locations there.

In Karnataka, the probe relates to an accused apprehended in 2022 with hashish oil and ganja worth around ₹80 lakh. Three premises in Kolar, Malur, and Hoskote were searched. In Telangana, the operation targeted a family-run syndicate in Nanakramguda that allegedly procured ganja from Odisha and Araku, repacked it, and sold it locally. Three immovable properties of the main accused are under scrutiny.

Kerala saw two cases under investigation. One involves the arrest of an individual with hybrid ganja, leading to the seizure of additional quantities and the identification of a network sourcing the drug from Bangkok. The second case pertains to the interception of an accused arriving from Muscat with 949.26 gm of MDMA. Four premises each were searched in Kochi and Kozhikode in these matters.