Tripura drug peddlers maintained interstate network to facilitate trafficking, reveal officials

The drug peddlers, whom the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is now investigating and has raided in Tripura, maintained an interstate network facilitating drug trafficking across various other states, including Assam, Bihar, and other parts of India, officials said on Saturday.

The ED sleuths conducted coordinated search operations across multiple locations in Tripura on Friday under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, targeting inter-state drug cartels involved in the trafficking of narcotic substances, including ganja and phensidyl.

Sources said that the ED initiated an investigation in three different money laundering cases on the basis of multiple FIRs registered by Tripura Police under various sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985, against Kamini Debbarma, Bishu Tripura, Aup Ranjan Das and others for the offence of trafficking narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

"The accused persons maintained an interstate network facilitating drug trafficking across various states, including Tripura, Assam, Bihar, and other parts of India,” an official statement said.

It said that this operation is part of the ongoing efforts by ED to combat the illegal drug trade and to trace and attach Proceeds of Crime (POC) generated from illegal drug trafficking.

The statement said that ED investigation revealed that the POC generated through drug trafficking, received via hawala and deposited in benami accounts, was invested in purchasing various movable (fixed deposits, bank balances, etc.) and immovable properties in the names of family members and 'benamidars' (proxy owners).

During the search operations, substantial amounts (around 66 kgs) of high-quality ganja (marijuana) along with other incriminating evidence, including financial records, details of benami properties, and electronic devices, suggesting the generation of significant amounts of POC were seized.

Further investigation is under progress.

Another Tripura government source said that during Friday’s search operation in three Tripura districts -- West Tripura, South Tripura and Sepahijala, the ED sleuths have identified seven persons, including Dhruba Majumdar, an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Tripura Police, in the drug peddling racket.

Majumdar is presently posted at the Crime Branch section under the office of the Superintendent of Police, South Tripura district and a resident at Baikhora.

The source said that the Tripura Police was contemplating suitable legal and administrative action against Majumdar.

The ED sleuths as part of their investigation also summoned some Tripura Gramin Bank officials and questioned them early on Friday.

Though Tripura has become the most important producer of ganja and a corridor for synthetic drugs including highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, this is the first time in Tripura that such major raids were conducted by the Central agency against the key drug players.