ED raids Delhi nightclub owner in ₹3,000 kg Mundra port drug seizure case
The searches were conducted at five locations in Delhi as part of a money laundering investigation
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted searches at five locations in Delhi as part of a money laundering investigation connected to the 2021 seizure of nearly 3,000 kg of Afghan-origin heroin at Mundra port, a consignment valued at approximately ₹21,000 crore. The raids targeted premises linked to Delhi-based businessman Harpreet Singh Talwar, also known as Kabir Talwar, who was previously arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in this case and later released on bail. The ED is investigating the alleged laundering of proceeds from international narcotics trade, with preliminary findings suggesting that a portion of these illicit funds may have been invested in Delhi's nightclubs and hospitality businesses. The NIA's earlier investigation had linked the drug trafficking network to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and revealed an international smuggling operation that used shell companies to import heroin from Afghanistan and distribute it across several Indian states.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted searches at five locations in Delhi as part of a money laundering investigation connected to the 2021 seizure of nearly 3,000 kg of Afghan-origin heroin at Mundra port, a consignment valued at approximately ₹21,000 crore. The raids targeted premises linked to Delhi-based businessman Harpreet Singh Talwar, also known as Kabir Talwar, who was previously arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in this case and later released on bail. The ED is investigating the alleged laundering of proceeds from international narcotics trade, with preliminary findings suggesting that a portion of these illicit funds may have been invested in Delhi's nightclubs and hospitality businesses. The NIA's earlier investigation had linked the drug trafficking network to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and revealed an international smuggling operation that used shell companies to import heroin from Afghanistan and distribute it across several Indian states.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted searches at five locations in Delhi as part of a money laundering investigation connected to the 2021 seizure of nearly 3,000 kg of Afghan-origin heroin at Mundra port, a consignment valued at approximately ₹21,000 crore. The raids targeted premises linked to Delhi-based businessman Harpreet Singh Talwar, also known as Kabir Talwar, who was previously arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in this case and later released on bail. The ED is investigating the alleged laundering of proceeds from international narcotics trade, with preliminary findings suggesting that a portion of these illicit funds may have been invested in Delhi's nightclubs and hospitality businesses. The NIA's earlier investigation had linked the drug trafficking network to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and revealed an international smuggling operation that used shell companies to import heroin from Afghanistan and distribute it across several Indian states.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at five locations in Delhi as part of a money laundering investigation linked to the massive 3,000 kg Mundra port drug seizure case.
The raids targeted premises linked to Delhi-based businessman Harpreet Singh Talwar, also known as Kabir Talwar, along with Shamshudeen and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Talwar, who operates popular nightclubs in the national capital, was earlier arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the same case and was recently released on bail.
According to officials, the ED is investigating the alleged laundering of proceeds generated from the international narcotics trade. The case originates from the seizure of 2,988.21 kg of Afghan-origin heroin at Mundra port in Gujarat’s Kutch district by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in September 2021.
The ED registered a money laundering case in the same year. Investigators estimate the seized consignment was worth around ₹21,000 crore in the international drug market and had allegedly entered India via Iran.
Preliminary findings suggest that a portion of the drug proceeds was allegedly diverted into investments in nightclubs and hospitality businesses in Delhi, raising concerns over the use of illicit funds in the sector, officials told ANI.
Talwar and another Delhi resident, Prince Sharma, were earlier arrested by the NIA in August 2022 after coordinated searches across multiple states. The agency alleged that the drug trafficking network was linked to a Pakistan-based banned terror outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and that proceeds from narcotics sales were used to fund its activities.
The NIA chargesheet alleges that the accused were part of an international drug smuggling network involved in importing large quantities of heroin from Afghanistan into India using shell companies. The drugs were then allegedly distributed through networks involving Afghan nationals across several Indian states, including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.