New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday detained eight individuals after carrying out searches in Mizoram, Tripura and West Bengal as part of an active money‑laundering probe tied to an alleged transnational drug trafficking ring operating between India and Myanmar.
The searches, executed by the ED’s Aizawl Sub‑Zonal Office at four locations, were conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The action flows from a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) case registered by its Agartala Zonal Unit under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, as reported by CNBC TV18.
The probe was triggered by a major haul — 49.101 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 40 gms of heroin — seized from an intercepted convoy in Mizoram on August 21, 2025. Subsequent inquiries uncovered an alleged cross‑border trafficking network that procured methamphetamine from suppliers in Myanmar.
Authorities say the narcotics were smuggled into India via the Champhai‑Zokhawthar sector of Mizoram before being moved to recipients in Tripura. The ED’s investigation indicates an alleged money‑laundering mechanism in which drug proceeds were transferred to bank accounts linked to individuals based in Myanmar.
Investigators say the money was funneled through several shell and intermediary accounts to hide where it came from. The ED has traced suspicious transactions of more than ₹142 crore linked to the network.
The agency added that the alleged kingpin, Chintuang alias Tluanga, was arrested by the NCB in Delhi in May. Searches were held at properties tied to Tripura residents Anowar Hossain alias Suman Mia and Jasim Mia, Mizoram resident Hmingthansangi, whose account is said to have been used in laundering, and M/s Riju Enterprises in West Bengal, whose account is alleged to have been used for layering and routing illicit funds.
Officials said documents, financial records and digital devices seized during the searches are being examined. The ED added that further investigation is ongoing to map the wider financial and operational structure of the alleged India‑Myanmar drug syndicate.
