ED cracks down on global drug network: ₹76 crore sent for terror funding, three countries involved
New Delhi. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) headquarters on Friday arrested Baneet Singh Talwar under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The arrest was made in connection with a large-scale drug trafficking case involving drugs concealed within semi-processed talc. Drugs have also been recovered in Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana. The Special Judge (PMLA) at the Tis Hazari Court has ordered the accused, Baneet Singh Talwar, to be remanded to ED custody for five days.
Links to an international conspiracy:
The ED investigation was initiated based on an FIR filed by the NIA. The FIR was registered against Harpreet Singh Talwar and others under sections of the UAPA (1967), the NDPS Act (1985), and the Indian Penal Code (1860) in connection with drug trafficking activities. The NIA had previously filed six chargesheets in the case, accusing several accused of conspiring with international drug trafficking syndicates operating from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Dubai.
Drug proceeds used to fund terrorism:
The mastermind of this syndicate is Vitesh Kosar, alias Raju Dubai, a wanted criminal. He was also involved with Pakistani ISI agents and Afghan nationals. The investigation also revealed that ₹76 crore (760 million rupees) of drug proceeds from the illegal sale of drugs was transferred to Afghanistan through hawala channels and used to fund terrorist activities.
How was the conspiracy hatched?:
Financial investigations conducted by the ED so far have revealed that a total of ₹89 crore (approximately $1.8 billion) was generated through the smuggling of contraband, the remittance of drug proceeds to Afghanistan through hawala, and other contraband. Further investigations are underway to determine the amount of additional proceeds of crime generated in this process. Baneet Singh Talwar is Harpreet Singh Talwar's brother. Harpreet Singh Talwar, along with mastermind Raju Dubai, facilitated the drug smuggling into India. The investigation revealed that even after Harpreet Singh Talwar was arrested in the NIA case, Baneet Singh Talwar continued to manage and operate business entities controlled by Harpreet Singh Talwar.
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