ED arrests six in cross-border drug-hawala network; freezes 1,424 bank accounts
The ED’s Aizawl and Imphal Sub-Zonal Offices conducted coordinated searches on October 23 at multiple premises in Aizawl, Champhai and Lawngtlai in Mizoram and Churachandpur in Manipur in three money-laundering cases linked to the trafficking of heroin, brown sugar and methamphetamine tablets from Myanmar.
The operation was conducted in coordination with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Mizoram Police, which carried out parallel action against the trafficking network, according to an ED press release.
The agency said the six accused were arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), with three arrests each in Mizoram and Manipur. Properties worth Rs 17.82 crore belonging to alleged narco-hawala operators in Mizoram were provisionally attached, taking the total assets secured, including previously frozen bank accounts worth Rs 8.19 crore, to more than Rs 26 crore.
The investigation was initiated in three cases arising from seizures of 4.722 kg of heroin in Champhai in March 2025, 49.101 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 40 grams of heroin near Seling in Mizoram in August 2025, and 2.413 kg of brown sugar along with Rs 31.43 lakh in cash in Churachandpur in July 2026.
The ED said its investigation had uncovered an interconnected narcotics-hawala network through which drug proceeds generated across Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Tripura were allegedly routed through bank accounts and settled with suppliers in Myanmar.
According to the agency, the network operated through a two-way corridor along the Champhai-Zokhawthar sector of Mizoram.
Chemicals allegedly used in manufacturing methamphetamine tablets were transported from India to Myanmar, while finished narcotics were smuggled back into India for distribution across several states and beyond.
The agency alleged that local carriers transported drug consignments concealed in soap cases, taxis, motorcycles and trucks, while payments were routed through hawala accounts linked to operators in border towns.
The ED further claimed that bank accounts belonging to individuals, pharmacies and general stores were used to transfer suspected drug proceeds through banking channels. Account holders allegedly received payments for allowing their accounts to be used by the network.
Investigators also traced funds to alleged hawala operators and businesses in Champhai, including a commercial property, which the agency said had been built using money routed through the accounts under investigation.
During searches, the ED seized ledgers, cheque books, debit cards, mobile phones and digital devices allegedly used to operate the accounts.
It said account holders had admitted renting out their bank accounts for payments of Rs 500 per lakh.
The agency said further investigation was under way to establish the full extent of the network, trace the proceeds of crime and identify other persons involved.
TNT TS
