ED raids multiple locations in Tamil Nadu in drugs money laundering case

Chennai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out multi-city raids in Tamil Nadu as part of a drugs trafficking-linked money laundering investigation against sacked DMK functionary Jaffer Sadiq and others, the officials said.

As many as 25 premises in state capital Chennai, Madurai and Tiruchirapalli are being searched by the ED officials, accompanied by an escort of central paramilitary forces Some documents and electronic gadgets have been seized during the operation, they said. The action is being undertaken as part of a case registered under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the officials said.

The premises of Sadiq, who is also a producer of Tamil films, film director Ameer and some others are being covered, they said. Sadiq, 36, was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) last month for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of about 3,500 kg of pseudoephedrine with a street value of more than Rs 2,000 crore. The ED took cognisance of this NCB case and some other FIRs to file the money laundering case against Sadiq and others.

The NCB has said Sadiq’s links with Tamil and Hindi film financiers, some “high-profile” people and some instances of “political funding” were under its scanner. Sadiq was expelled by the ruling DMK in February after his name and purported links to the drugs network were mentioned by the NCB.

Tamil Nadu Law Minister and DMK leader S Regupathy had asserted last month that his party had no links with Sadiq.Talking about the the issue of Sadiq being given membership in the party despite his alleged links to a separate and old narcotics case, Regupathy told reporters that his party has over two crore members and it is not practically possible to check the antecedents of every single person who sought admission into it.