PANJIM: In a massive crackdown on organ ised crime, the Direc torate of Enforcement (ED) conducted coor dinated search oper ations at 26 premises across seven States, including Goa, Maha rashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odi sha and Delhi, disman tling a high-profile international narcotics trafficking and money laundering network. The operation, root ed in a Goa Police An ti-Narcotics Cell in vestigation, led to the arrest of one person named Madhupan S S, and the seizure of Rs 3 crore in cash alongside incriminating digital evidence.
Madhupan S S, has been arrested under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The Special PMLA Court in Goa has remanded him to seven days of ED custody. In addition to the financial recovery, the ED discovered physical stocks of narcotics at various locations. This prompted immediate coordination with the Narcotics Con trol Bureau (NCB) and local police for the formal seizure of contraband. A related arrest was also made by the Delhi Police. Investigations revealed a sophisticated ‘Busi ness-to-Business’ (B2B) distribution model. The syndicate allegedly supplied a wide array of high-end narcotics—in cluding MDMA, Ecstasy, cocaine, hash, kush, shrooms, and ‘super cream’—across States such as Himachal Pradesh, Goa, and Karnataka. The syndicate utilised everyday logistics, including cou rier and postal services, to transport drugs. The financial trail was equally complex, with the proceeds of crime being laundered through UPI transactions, bank transfers, cryp tocurrency, and cash. The ED noted that these channels were used for ‘layering and concealment’ to hide the illicit origin of the funds. The ED stated that the probe has uncovered a vast web of suppliers, associates, and facilitators. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, vowing to continue identifying and attaching properties acquired through drug-related pro ceeds. Further investigations are on to trace the full extent of the assets generated and to identify all beneficiaries and facilitators involved in this international network
