ED Uncovers ₹42 Lakh in Mumbai Drug Money Laundering Operation

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized ₹42 lakh in cash along with three luxury cars and various digital devices during a search operation in Mumbai that targeted a drug trafficking and money laundering network. This action, carried out on Wednesday, also resulted in the freezing of multiple bank accounts and a locker linked to alleged drug trafficker Faisal Javed Shaikh and his wife, Alfiya Faisal Shaikh.

The ED conducted searches at nine locations across Mumbai under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The operation sought to trace the proceeds from drug sales generated by a narcotics network allegedly run by the couple. This investigation was initiated following a case registered by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) against multiple suspects, including the Shaikhs and others such as Ashik Varis Ali and Nasir Khan.

Investigators revealed that Faisal Shaikh had been procuring MD (Mephedrone) drugs from Salim Dola, a notorious drug kingpin wanted for his extensive involvement in narcotics trafficking. The NCB has even announced a reward for information leading to Dola’s capture. After securing bail in the NCB case, Shaikh, identified by officials as a habitual offender, was placed under preventive detention under the PIT-NDPS Act.

During the searches, the ED uncovered that the Shaikhs allegedly operated a structured network for the sale of MD drugs sourced from Dola. The agency’s operation also targeted premises connected to individuals associated with shell companies engaged in questionable transactions exceeding ₹100 crore. These financial entities are being scrutinized for their potential roles in laundering drug proceeds and facilitating the routing of funds abroad through methods such as hawala, shell companies, and trade-based mis-invoicing.

Officials emphasized that the searches were crucial for tracing both the “forward linkage,” which refers to the movement of drug sale proceeds, and the “backward linkage,” which investigates the sources, beneficiaries, and conduits of those funds. This includes examining whether proceeds were funneled abroad through illicit financial channels.

The seized assets, including cash, bank accounts, vehicles, property documents, and digital devices, are currently under examination as part of the ongoing money laundering investigation. The ED aims to dismantle this extensive network and prevent further illicit activities associated with drug trafficking in Mumbai.