New Delhi, Mar 25 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday said it has filed a chargesheet against certain nationals of Pakistan, Afghanistan and India as part of a money laundering investigation into a 2019 case of smuggling of over 580 kg of heroin along the Attari-Wagah international border check post in Punjab.
The prosecution complaint (chargesheet) was filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mohali on Monday, the federal probe agency said in a statement.
The ED said its probe found that 890 kg of heroin and 52 kg of mixed narcotics was smuggled from Pakistan to the Land Customs Station (LCS) at Attari in Amritsar by concealing the contraband in imported bags of light pink rock salt in June 2019.
A total of 18 entities have been named as accused, including nationals of Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. The total heroin consignment weighed 584 kg, it said.
Pakistani and Afghani “conspirators” named Sahil, Shoaib Noor and Amir Noor exported these drugs, which were marked with a cross or designated numbers, according to the agency.
The drugs trafficking was undertaken using the hawala (illegal movement of cash funds) route and the consignment was stored in temporary godowns and subsequently transported to a warehouse where “habitual” narcotics dealers like Ranjit Singh alias Rana and Iqbal Singh received the drugs, the ED said.
The Indian accused, including Ranjit Singh’s brother Sarwan Singh, utilised the formal banking system to layer the illicit cash by depositing the funds into various bank accounts and subsequently created movable and immovable assets, it said.
Assets worth Rs 3.61 crore of the accused Indians were attached by the agency earlier. PTI NES DIV DIV
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