ED conducts searches across T.N., Keralam, Karnataka, Telangana in eight cases linked to drug trafficking
The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids across four southern Indian states as part of a crackdown on drug trafficking networks. The operation targets money laundering activities linked to methamphetamine smuggling to Sri Lanka.
Why it matters
This highlights the intersection of international narcotics smuggling and domestic money laundering, emphasizing the government's focus on dismantling organized crime syndicates.
In a major crackdown, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday (September 3, 2026) conducted searches at 30 locations across Tamil Nadu , Keralam , Karnataka , and Telangana in connection with eight narcotics-related cases.
Stating that the exercise covered the southern zone, agency sources said the operation was linked to the national Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan initiative for a drug-free India. The searches are being carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
In Tamil Nadu, the ED is probing the money-laundering angle pertaining to a case in which the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) intercepted N. Ajanthan and K. Madhushan, Sri Lankan nationals residing at the Mandapam Camp for refugees in Ramanathapuram, on June 11, 2024. About 1.47 kg of methamphetamine was seized by the NCB.
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