From Kolkata’s shell companies and hawala operators to Myanmar-based drug lords using stolen GST credentials, the ED’s probe reveals a chilling ecosystem of chemical suppliers, cash mules, and border smugglers.
BY PC Bureau
November 2025 — In one of the most extensive anti-narcotics operations undertaken in Northeast India in recent years, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has dismantled a highly sophisticated transnational methamphetamine trafficking and money laundering network spanning Mizoram, Assam, Manipur, Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi, and extending deep into Myanmar.
The investigation originates from multiple FIRs filed by Mizoram Police (Aizawl and Champhai) and Assam Police under the NDPS Act, 1985, following the 2024 seizure of 4.724 kg of high-grade heroin. The consignment—valued at nearly ₹33 crore in the international market (₹1.41 crore in India)—led to the arrest of nine individuals and provided the initial trail that has now unraveled a far bigger criminal ecosystem.
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Acting on this intelligence, the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and launched coordinated searches on 27–28 November 2025 across 18 locations in:
• Aizawl and Champhai (Mizoram)
• Karimganj and Silchar (Assam)
• Ahmedabad and Surat (Gujarat)
• Kolkata (West Bengal)
• Imphal (Manipur)
Gujarat-to-Mizoram Precursor Chain Fully Mapped
The ED investigation has pieced together a clear supply route of precursor chemicals—particularly pseudoephedrine and caffeine anhydrous—shipped from Gujarat to Mizoram-based front entities and later smuggled into Myanmar’s clandestine meth labs.
Key findings include: • Ahmedabad-based Krishiv Enterprises and allied firms supplied pseudoephedrine tablets and caffeine anhydrous worth ₹4.54 crore during 2024–25.
• Other Gujarat suppliers under scrutiny include Shreeji Chemicals, Maruti Pharma, and multiple proxy entities.
• Consignments were dispatched under the guise of legitimate Mizoram businesses such as Bill Enterprises, RK Two Sisters Store, LH Pharmacy, KC Pharmacy, as well as individual consignees including Henry Lalbiakzinga, Laltluangzela, Benjamin Lalawmpuai, and Vanlalthlana.
These chemicals—categorised as essential precursors—are critical for large-scale production of methamphetamine (“Yaba/Wy”).
Kolkata-Based Shell Companies at the Core of Laundering Network
Following the money trail led investigators to Kolkata, where multiple shell companies were allegedly used for layering and routing illegal proceeds.
Companies flagged by the ED include:
• Mahasin Tradecom Pvt Ltd — managed by Mohd. Zafar (arrested)
• Bhawani Vincom, Everstrong Merchants, and Moonview Distributors
These entities handled hundreds of crores through multilayered transactions before channeling money back to the drug syndicate via hawala networks and cash couriers.
Myanmar Nationals Misusing Indian GST Credentials
A disturbing trend uncovered during the probe revealed Myanmar-based drug lords using stolen or forged GST numbers of Indian citizens—primarily from Mizoram and Manipur—to place bulk chemical orders via B2B pharmaceutical platforms.
Several Indian intermediaries (“mules”) acted on behalf of Myanmar operatives, procuring controlled chemicals in exchange for commissions.
Porous Indo-Myanmar Border Used as Two-Way Smuggling Corridor
The operational cycle identified by the ED is as follows:
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Precursors shipped legally from Gujarat to Mizoram
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Smuggled through the porous Champai–Zokhawthar and Moreh–Tamu border corridors into Myanmar
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Converted into methamphetamine tablets in Myanmar laboratories
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Smuggled back into India, primarily via Mizoram
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Distributed across Northeast India, West Bengal, and beyond, including channels leading into Bangladesh and mainland India
Massive Unexplained Cash Movements Detected
Digital forensics and financial analysis revealed extensive unexplained transactions linked to syndicate members:
• Abu Saleh Saif Uddin (Karimganj, Assam): ₹11.42 crore, mostly cash deposits across West Bengal
• Lalrampari (Aizawl): ₹52.8 crore through multiple accounts, with cash inflows from Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, West Bengal, and Delhi
• Henry Lalbiakzinga & associates: ₹18–22 crore layered through pharmacy and trading businesses
Total suspected proceeds of crime so far: over ₹110 crore
Seizures & Freezing Orders
During the two-day operation, ED officials seized:
• ₹46.70 lakh in cash
• 14 mobile phones, five laptops, and multiple storage devices
• Account books, invoices, and delivery challans
• Luxury watches and gold jewellery worth approximately ₹82 lakh
Twenty-eight bank accounts containing around ₹19 crore have been frozen or debit-restricted under Section 17(1A) of PMLA.
Ongoing Investigation
Summons have been issued to over 40 individuals, including Gujarat-based chemical suppliers, Kolkata shell company directors, and several serving and former customs officials suspected of facilitating cross-border movement of goods.
Sources suggest links between the busted network and Myanmar-based insurgent-affiliated drug syndicates. Investigators believe the true scale of the racket could be significantly larger as international money flows and encrypted communications are further examined.
More searches, arrests, and financial freezes are expected in the coming days as the ED broadens its probe into one of the most intricate narcotics-linked money laundering operations uncovered in the region.
