New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) In a major crackdown on an inter-state drug trafficking syndicate, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Jalandhar, conducted search operations at 16 locations across six states, including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra, an official said on Wednesday.

The searches were conducted on Tuesday as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation linked to the illegal supply of psychotropic and intoxicating substances such as Tramadol and Alprazolam.

The operation targeted office and residential premises associated with several pharmaceutical firms and individuals, including M/s Biogenetic Drugs Pvt Ltd, M/s CB Healthcare, M/s Smilax Pharmachem Drug Industries, M/s Aster Pharma, M/s Soul Health Care (I) Pvt Ltd, Alex Paliwal and other related individuals.

During the raids, various incriminating records, digital devices like mobile phones, laptops, etc, and other relevant evidence critical in establishing the financial trail and uncovering the modus operandi of the entities involved were recovered and seized. These are expected to play a vital role in mapping the financial trail and understanding the modus operandi adopted by the accused entities.

According to the agency, it is working to identify all beneficiaries and trace the money trail to dismantle the financial backbone of the drug network. The ED had launched its probe based on an FIR registered by the Punjab Police under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

Preliminary investigations suggest that intermediaries were procuring large quantities of psychotropic tablets from pharmaceutical manufacturers and diverting them for illegal sale in the black market at inflated prices, using a well-organised network of drug peddlers.

Further investigation into the case is currently underway, and more seizures and arrests are expected in the coming days as the agency deepens its probe into the interstate drug cartel.

–IANS

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