ED attaches Rs 3 cr assets in drug trafficking PMLA case

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached assets worth over Rs 3 crore in Delhi, Punjab and Goa in connection with a money laundering probe linked to an online drug trafficking case.

The federal probe agency has issued a provisional order, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), for attachment of immovable and movable assets of people identified as Amit Kohli, Diwakar Gupta and others here and the two other states.

The total value of the attached properties is Rs 3.14 crore, it said.

The Enforcement Directorate filed a criminal case against the accused on the basis of a complaint filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

"The accused persons were involved in illegal online export of prescription drugs and psychotropic substances after taking online orders from US-based clients and the orders were being delivered through the post office," the ED said in a statement.

It said several properties and bank accounts belonging to the accused, their relatives and a firm, Ad Buildwell Pvt Ltd, have been identified.

"The accused have acquired ten immovable properties in Delhi, Goa and Punjab and also deposited money in their bank accounts disproportionate to their legal income during the period 2003-2008.

"The accused did not have any other source of income except generation of money from the illegal activity of exporting prescription drugs and psychotropic substance during that period," it said.

The ED, in February this year, had created a Special Task Force (STF) to actively probe money laundering cases emerging from illegal narcotics trade.

The STF, created on the directions of ED Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra, is tasked to specifically look into all cases of narcotics trade, drug crime syndicates and hawala transactions that have national and international links and can be dealt under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).