NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted simultaneous searches at 30 premises across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala, targeting suspects from Hyderabad’s alleged ‘Ganja Queen’ Neetu Bai to Kozhikode-based Shamnad C K in money-laundering cases linked to narcotics trafficking, the agency said.
The raids under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) span cases involving methamphetamine, ganja, hashish oil and MDMA, with agencies tracing proceeds of crime routed through hawala networks, shell bank accounts, gold loans and property acquisitions.
In Tamil Nadu, the federal probing agency is probing four separate cases. Searches were carried out at two premises each in Chennai and Ramanathapuram in a case involving S. Nisardeen and others, after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) recovered 1.470 kg of methamphetamine from two Sri Lankan nationals in June 2024 and cash amounting to over Rs 1.29 crore, along with USD 30,000 and Sri Lankan currency, from a Chennai hawala outlet allegedly run on Nisardeen’s behalf.
A related case against Syed Ibrahim, Bysul Rahman and others, arising from a 5.970 kg methamphetamine seizure in July 2024 meant for onward movement to Sri Lanka, has triggered searches at two premises in Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli, with cash of over Rs 39 lakh, gold and silver seized earlier by the NCB.
In Karnataka, raids were carried out at three premises in Kolar district against Mruthyunjaya alias Jayanna and his wife Bhagyamma, habitual NDPS offenders since 2007, whose bank accounts reflect aggregate credits of over Rs 5.15 crore, including cash deposits of nearly Rs 2.4 crore, against eight immovable properties valued at over Rs 99 lakh.
In Telangana, the ED conducted searches at three premises in Hyderabad linked to alleged ganja racket kingpin Neetu Bai, who is shown as absconding in multiple FIRs registered by Cyberabad’s Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE).
The PMLA case was registered on the basis of the FIRs, with the agency examining proceeds allegedly generated through ganja sales. Neetu Bai’s residence at Lodha Basthi, Nanakramguda, is the hub of a family-run ganja retail operation, with her husband Munna Singh, sons Gautam and Govind and a daughter allegedly assisting in packaging and sale.
In one 2026 case, a local police team stationed outside the residence from 11 am on June 10 intercepted 49 persons who had allegedly come to buy ganja.
Verification has found three properties in Neetu Bai’s name at Rajeev Nagar (Gachibowli), Gandhi Nagar and Laxmi Nagar (Langer House), acquired for a combined Rs 86.78 lakh between 2021 and 2023, with the ED noting she has no declared income source commensurate with the purchases beyond a small kirana store.
Two cases are being probed in Kerala. Raids were carried out at four places in Kochi and adjoining districts in a case involving Ayush Vinod and an alleged international trafficking network moving hybrid ganja from Bangkok through Cochin International Airport.
Separately, searches are underway at the residential premises of four accused in Kozhikode, Ligiesh, Rafnas, Shihabudheen and Shamnad C.K., in a case involving 949.26 grams of MDMA smuggled from Muscat, in which the LEA has already filed a chargesheet.
The federal probing agency said the searches are aimed at identifying the trail of proceeds of crime and tracing bank accounts, digital records and properties linked to the accused.
