National

Money Laundering Case: ED Arrests Expelled-DMK Functionary Jaffer Sadiq

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Jaffer Sadiq, a dismissed DMK functionary, at Tihar Jail in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to drug activities, as per official sources.

The federal agency plans to transport the 36-year-old to Chennai soon and present him before a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to seek his custody for interrogation, the sources disclosed.

On June 26, Jaffer Sadiq was apprehended by the ED at Tihar Jail, where he is currently held in judicial custody related to an NCB case.

A production warrant is being pursued from a Delhi court, after which he will likely be transferred to Chennai for the ED’s investigation.

The ED had previously obtained court permission to interrogate him in jail, during which he was taken into custody. He was initially arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in March on charges related to the smuggling of approximately 3,500 kg of pseudoephedrine valued at over Rs 2,000 crore.

The money laundering case arose from separate complaints filed against Sadiq and his associates by the NCB and Customs department, alleging involvement in “cross-border illegal trade of narcotics substances”. According to the ED, Sadiq, believed to be the mastermind of an international drug trafficking syndicate, is accused of smuggling pseudoephedrine disguised as health-mix powder and desiccated coconut to Australia and New Zealand.

In February, he was expelled from the ruling DMK after the NCB implicated him and linked him to the drug network. Tamil Nadu Law Minister and DMK leader S Regupathy affirmed that their party had no associations with Sadiq.