ED attaches Rs 4.76 crore in Mizoram drug case (Img: IANS)
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached balances totalling around Rs 4.76 crore in 22 bank accounts in connection with an alleged cross-border narcotics trafficking and money laundering network operating from Mizoram.
The ED’s Aizawl Sub-Zonal Office took the action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, following a Provisional Attachment Order issued on September 28.
The ED began its probe based on a Prosecution Complaint filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Agartala Zonal Unit, arising from an NCB case.
The underlying case relates to the seizure of 49.101 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 40 grams of heroin on August 21, 2025, during a joint operation between Keifang and Seling in Mizoram.
The NCB investigation allegedly uncovered an organised drug trafficking network operating across international and inter-state boundaries. According to the ED, the narcotics were sourced from Myanmar and transported across the India-Myanmar border into Mizoram before being sent to receivers and handlers in other parts of India.
Investigators identified Myanmar-based suppliers, local coordinators, transporters, escort vehicles and receivers as part of the alleged network.
The ED said proceeds from the alleged drug trade were collected, routed and layered through bank accounts held in the names of different individuals and business entities.
Investigators also found indications of an organised hawala network being used to receive, transfer and settle funds linked to the narcotics trade. Several accounts allegedly recorded substantial credits, frequent cash deposits, rapid onward transfers and transaction volumes that were disproportionate to the declared business profiles of the account holders.
The investigation identified Thangchintuaang alias Chintuang, a Myanmar national, as the alleged main kingpin. The NCB arrested him in May 2026, after which he was lodged in Central Jail, Aizawl.
During questioning, Chintuang allegedly admitted to procuring and supplying heroin and methamphetamine from Myanmar to India. He also disclosed details about the network’s operations, including drug procurement, transportation through remote routes along the India-Myanmar border, delivery to Indian receivers and the settlement of drug proceeds.
According to the ED, Chintuang also provided details of Indian bank accounts allegedly used to receive, route and settle proceeds generated from drug trafficking.
Subsequent analysis of the banking trail revealed substantial inter-account transfers, cash deposits and rapid movement of funds. The agency identified traceable proceeds of crime amounting to around Rs 4.76 crore in the 22 accounts and provisionally attached them under Section 5(1) of the PMLA.
The action is intended to prevent the alleged proceeds from being concealed, transferred or dissipated.
The ED said around Rs 3.42 crore found in various bank accounts during earlier search operations had also been frozen under the PMLA.
With the latest attachment, proceeds of crime amounting to approximately Rs 8.19 crore have so far been secured, comprising Rs 3.42 crore frozen earlier and Rs 4.76 crore provisionally attached.
Further investigation into the alleged cross-border drug trafficking and money laundering network is underway.
