NCB conducts searches at Jaffer Sadiq’s house in Chennai

NCB began its investigation following information received from New Zealand customs authorities and Australian police that large quantities of pseudoephedrine concealed in desiccated coconut powder was being sent to both countries.

February 29, 2024 06:44 pm | Updated 06:44 pm IST - CHENNAI

A view of the Jaffer Sadiq house in Mylapore has been sealed by the central narcotics team, on February 29, 2024

A view of the Jaffer Sadiq house in Mylapore has been sealed by the central narcotics team, on February 29, 2024 | Photo Credit: M. Srinath

The sleuths of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has sealed the house of expelled DMK functionary Jaffer Sadiq alias Bezo at Mylapore, the mastermind behind the ₹2,000 crore drug case, wherein drugs were smuggled in the guise of food products to New Zealand and Australia.

A team of officers from NCB, Chennai, conducted searches on Wednesday night at Mr. Jaffer’s house under the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in connection with seizure of 50.070 kilos of suspect pseudoephedrine by NCB, Headquarters, New Delhi. Pending further investigations, incriminating materials, connected articles/ documents were seized during the search, said the notice pasted on the wall of Jaffer’s house.

The NCB began its investigation following information received from New Zealand customs authorities and Australian police that large quantities of pseudoephedrine concealed in desiccated coconut powder was being sent to both countries. Further inputs from the US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) indicated that the source of the consignments was from Delhi. The investigation led to a godown in Basai Darapur, West Delhi, where three men were caught packing pseudoephedrine in a consignment of multigrain food mix. They recovered 50 kilograms of pseudoephedrine and arrested three operatives of this cartel who have been identified as Mukesh, 34, Mujibur Rahman, 26, and Ashok Kumar, 33, of Villupuram. The trio revealed that they had sent 45 consignments of drugs for the past three year weighing 3500 kilograms worth around Rs. 2000 crore in the international market.

The NCB investigation revealed that Chennai-based Tamil film producer Jaffer Sadiq was the mastermind of the smuggling racket. His mobile phone was found switched off and his whereabouts are not known yet. Since then, the agency launched a hunt to nab him and other associates.

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