Agartala: Two days after conducting multiple raids in seven locations in Tripura, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Saturday said during the search operations, a substantial amount of high-quality cannabis along with other incriminating documents, including financial records, details of illegal properties, and electronic devices were seized.
The ED said that officials have conducted a coordinated search in Agartala across multiple locations in Tripura on January 10 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, targeting inter-state drug cartels involved in the trafficking of narcotic substances, including Ganja and Phensidyl.
According to the agency, the investigation was initiated in three different money laundering cases based on multiple FIRs registered by Tripura Police under various sections of the NDPS Act, 1985, against Kamini Debbarma, Bishu Tripura, Aup Ranjan Das, and others for trafficking drugs and psychotropic substances. "The accused persons maintained an interstate network facilitating drug trafficking across various states, including Tripura, Assam, Bihar, and other parts of India, a statement issued by ED read.
It further added, "This operation is part of the ongoing efforts by ED to combat the illegal drug trade and to trace and attach Proceeds of Crime (POC) generated from illegal drug trafficking. The ED investigation revealed that the POC generated through drug trafficking, received via hawala and deposited in benami accounts, was invested in purchasing various movable (fixed deposits, bank balances, etc.) and immovable properties in the names of family members and benamidars. During the search operations, a substantial amount (around 66 kgs) of high quality Ganja (marijuana) along with other incriminating evidence, including financial records, details of benami properties, and electronic devices, suggesting the generation of significant amount of POC were seized."
