Ahmedabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday carried out searches at five locations in Delhi linked to businessman Harpreet Singh Talwar and his associates as part of a money laundering investigation connected to the 2,988-kg heroin seizure at Gujarat’s Mundra port in 2021.

The raids were conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to trace the proceeds of crime generated from what investigators describe as one of India’s biggest drug trafficking cases.

According to officials, the searches covered premises associated with Talwar, also known as Kabir Talwar, another accused identified as Shamshudeen, and their associates. Investigators suspect that money earned through the narcotics trade was invested in nightclubs and other businesses in Delhi.

Talwar was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in August 2022 in connection with the Mundra drug haul case and was recently granted bail.

The money laundering probe stems from the September 2021 seizure of 2,988.21 kg of heroin at Mundra port by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). The drugs, concealed in a shipment declared as semi-processed talc stones imported from Afghanistan through Iran, were estimated to be worth more than Rs 21,000 crore in the international market.

The NIA, which later took over the investigation, has alleged that the smuggling operation was part of an international network involving Afghan, Iranian and Pakistani nationals. The agency has also claimed that the syndicate had links with Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and that proceeds from the drug trade were used to finance terrorist activities.

According to the NIA, Talwar and the other accused were part of an international drug trafficking network that used shell companies to import heroin into India and distribute it across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The agency’s chargesheet names several Afghan nationals, Indian businessmen and foreign-based conspirators, alleging that multiple consignments were imported before the September 2021 shipment was intercepted at Mundra. DeshGujarat