Agartala: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has conducted a search against three cannabis traders in Tripura, the first of its kind on Monday, and frizzed Rs 2 Crore in a bank account, fixed deposit, insurance policies, and documents of immovable properties, an ED statement said here on Tuesday.
ED officials said that they had carried out search operations under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in two locations of Agartala and Sepahijala districts in respect of investigations relating to three drug trafficking cases.
“ED initiated investigations under PMLA, 2002 based on FIRs registered under sections 20/29 of NDPS Act,1985 by Tripura police and charge sheet filed against three accused persons identified as Sujit Sarkar, Bijoy Paul and the family members of Paresh Chandra Roy for their direct involvement in storage, trafficking and sale of cannabis (beyond prescribed commercial quantity) which is prohibited under NDPS Act,1985”, the statement stated.
The initial investigation revealed that huge amounts of cash were deposited in their bank accounts and also in the bank accounts of their family members, which was not matched to their known sources of income, it said adding that the investigation is progressing while police and security agencies are put on alert.
Tripura police have seized more than 1500 MT of cannabis from different parts of the state either in stored condition or while smuggled to other states over past five years. More than 300 cases against 700 cannabis traders and smugglers have so far been registered in various police stations in the state. However, this is the first time ED swung into action based on the investigation by police
