

CHENNAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted simultaneous searches at 30 locations across TN, Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana in connection with money-laundering investigation linked to drug trafficking.
The searches, held as part of the Nasha Mukt Bharat initiative, covered 16 locations in Chennai, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Nagapattinam and Velankanni in connection with four cases.
The cases involve the seizure of methamphetamine of varying quantities. In one case, 1.47 kg of the narcotic was seized from two Sri Lankan nationals in 2024, followed by the seizure of Rs 1.29 crore, $30,000 from a location in Mannady allegedly linked to a Dubai-based hawala network.
Another case involved the seizure of 5.97 kg of the narcotic near Kilambakkam in 2024. A third involved the seizure of 2 kg from a Sri Lankan national in Mannady and 54.6 kg from an alleged supplier in Ambattur in 2023. In the fourth case, 950 grams of the narcotic was seized.