NRI-drugs mafia nexus: ED raids point to Rs.200 crore hawala ring

Jalandhar (Punjab), Feb 1 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has stepped up its probe into the nexus between drugs mafia, NRIs and business houses in Punjab in the drugs trade, officials said Friday, adding that the scam could involve over Rs.200 crore of hawala money.

Officials of the ED Friday raided a foreign exchange agency in Jalandhar and a jeweller in Ludhiana in this connection.

The scam could involve hawala (illegally transmitted remittances) money worth over Rs.200 crore, ED sources told IANS.

ED assistant director Niranjan Singh also told IANS that the alleged nexus between the drug mafia, NRIs and business houses was turning out to be much bigger than earlier expected.

The drugs mafia was manufacturing drug intoxicant 'Ice', which is in demand among youth in Canada and countries in Europe, from methamphetamine salt which is believed to be easily available and cheaper in Punjab.

Police sources here say that the drug, also known as 'Speed', was being smuggled to other countries from here and the payment was coming through the hawala transactions. The ED has also put officials of some airlines, operating from Amritsar international airport, under the scanner.

The ED, which had conducted raids at nearly 20 places across Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi in this connection Wednesday, is likely to conduct more raids in the coming days, the sources revealed.

The raids were conducted to tracking a money-laundering scandal involving nexus between NRIs and the drugs mafia.

Properties of drugs mafia kingpin Raja Kandola alias Ranjit Singh, who is himself an NRI and now lodged in Tihar jail following his arrest from Punjab in August last year for involvement in a Rs.200 crore drugs trade, and others were raided at several places, the sources said.

The raids were conducted in Delhi's Karol Bagh area, Paharganj, Sainik Farms, Gurgaon's DLF colony, in Chandigarh and Punjab's Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Sunam, Garhshankar, Abohar, Samrala and Mohali, ED officials said here.

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NRI-drugs mafia nexus: ED raids point to Rs.200 crore hawala ring