ED arrests four more accused, including Myanmar nationals, in cross-border drug ring

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested four more accused, including a Myanmar national, in connection with the international cross-border ‘narco-hawala’ network following a recent multi-agency crackdown on the network. The agency uncovered financial records that allegedly show that drug suppliers in Myanmar were also paid in kind.

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As part of Operation Trident, simultaneous raids were earlier conducted at 38 locations in Assam, Mizoram and Manipur, which led to the arrest of 18 accused persons and the discovery of ₹100 crore in ‘hawala’ transactions on 23 October.

In the latest ED arrest, the agency took into custody a Myanmar national, Thangcintuang alias Chintuang; Lalrammuana from Champhai district in Mizoram, Jabrul Haque from Sribhumi and Abu Saleh Md Saif Uddin from Karimganj in Assam. They were jailed in connection with cases registered by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The ED produced them before a local court and secured their 48-hour remand for questioning.

According to the agency, Chintuang was the Myanmar-based supplier of the 49.1 kg methamphetamine shipment seized on August 21, 2025, while Lalrammuana was the main processor and Jabrul Haque its intended recipient at the Damchhera-Kanhmun border. Abu Saleh was said to be the operator whose account received ₹11.44 crore, including ₹6.67 crore in cash, and fed the ‘hawala’ accounts in Champhai.

The ED reportedly seized cash books, cash registers and notebooks containing handwritten accounts of another accused Zenngaihniang’s “hawala” firm during searches at its premises in Churachandpur city on October 23.

“The records reflect a regular exchange and ‘hawala’ operation where Indian currencies were received in cash and into bank accounts from persons in various parts of India, converted into Myanmar kyats at daily rates of about 42 to 48 kyats per rupee and paid to persons in Myanmar,” it said.

The ED claimed that individual transactions were up to ₹54.47 million per day, equivalent to around 26 million kyats, while the cumulative transactions exceeded 43 million kyats. The agency found that ₹1.14 million was paid to one processor by the week of April 2025. The records also allegedly showed transfers through Myanmar’s KPay app and the conversion of $10,816 at an exchange rate of 4,150 kyats to the dollar between April 2025 and February 2026.

“Seven signed ₹10 notes, suspected to be used as tokens to identify recipients of ‘hawala’ payments, were also seized and documents of an immovable property purchased for ₹60 million in the name of Zenngaihniang alias Taniang and 991 bank accounts linked to the Churachandpur network of agencies were frozen.

The ED further claimed that the books of accounts of Go Alpha Trip, the mini-ATM through which Taniang routed over ₹175 million through the banking system, and statements in a related Mizoram case revealed that drug money was also converted into ordinary goods to make payments in kind.

The Mizoram counter and mule bills paid to suppliers such as a mill in West Bengal, an edible oil merchant in Assam, petrol stations in Mizoram, food and drug wholesalers and shoe and cloth merchants in Delhi, while invoices were issued to third parties in Aizawl and border towns such as Champhai, Zorinpui and Tlabung. The purchased goods have been shipped to Myanmar.

Published – 31 Oct 2026 22:46 IST