News Tamil Nadu

Another DMK Functionary Suspended For Involvement In ₹70 Crore Methamphetamine Smuggling Operation

July 30, 2024
The Commune

In a shocking turn of events in Tamil Nadu, Syed Ibrahim, Vice president of DMK Minority Welfare Wing, has been suspended for damaging the party’s reputation due to his recent involvement in smuggling ₹70 crore worth of methamphetamine to Ramanathapuram and subsequently to Sri Lanka. The operation was thwarted, and the drugs were seized by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) based on intelligence.

The NCB officers in Chennai confiscated the methamphetamine, which was intended for transport to Sri Lanka. Three individuals have been arrested in connection with this drug trafficking case. This incident comes just three months after another DMK official Jaffer Sadiq, who held a position in the DMK’s NRI wing, was expelled from the party due to involvement in an international drug cartel smuggling the same methamphetamine drug, which was exposed with assistance from Australian law enforcement.

In response, the DMK issued a statement via their official X account regarding the recent dismissal following over the methamphetamine smuggling bust. The statement read, “Ramanathapuram District Minorities Welfare Division’s Vice President, K. Syed Ibrahim, has been acting in a way that defames the party control and brings disrepute to the party, so he is permanently dismissed from all responsibilities, including basic membership. The party members are requested not to have any contact with him.”

The NCB had intensified their surveillance across various locations, including bus stands, railway stations, and airports in Chennai, following a tip-off about drug trafficking. On 24 July, at the Kilambakkam bus stand, a passenger from Ramanathapuram was intercepted and found in possession of 5.970 kg of methamphetamine. His confession led to the arrest of two additional suspects and the discovery of a godown near Redhills, where 954 grams of methamphetamine and ₹7 lakh in cash were found.

The arrested include Bysul Rahman and Ibrahim from Ramanathapuram and Mansoor from Chennai. In total, 6.920 kg of methamphetamine was seized, with an estimated market value of around ₹70 crore. Additionally, ₹7 lakh in cash was confiscated. The accused were reportedly planning to smuggle the drugs to Sri Lanka through Ramanathapuram, according to P Aravindhan, Zonal Director of the NCB in Chennai.

Who Was Jaffer Sadiq? Why Was He Previously Dismissed From the DMK?

Jaffer Sadiq, a producer of five Tamil films, was the leader of a cartel responsible for shipping Pseudoephedrine from India to Australia and New Zealand, as per the sources. Four other individuals from Tamil Nadu were apprehended in a Delhi warehouse.

Sadiq, who was affiliated with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and serving as the Deputy Organiser for the Chennai West NRI Wing, was permanently expelled from the party on 25 February 2024 following the revelation of his involvement with the drug cartel. The case unravelled when authorities from New Zealand and Australia alerted Indian agencies about substantial drug smuggling in their countries, disguised as food products. The NCB was probing the possibility of drug money being used to fund films.

In February, New Zealand customs and Australian police provided information about large amounts of pseudoephedrine, hidden in desiccated coconut powder, being shipped to both countries. Additional information from the US Drug Enforcement Administration pointed to Delhi as the source of the consignment.

An international drug trafficking network has been broken up by a combined operation from the NCB and the Special Cell of Delhi Police, resulting in the seizure of at least 50 kg of Pseudoephedrine in Delhi.

Following extensive questioning, officials disclosed that over the past three years, 45 shipments containing roughly 3,500 kg of pseudoephedrine, worth over ₹2,000 crore in the international market, had been dispatched.

On 9 March 2024, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) announced the arrest of Jaffer Sadiq, the mastermind behind the India-Australia-New Zealand drug trafficking network. According to the NCB, Sadiq is reportedly the mastermind behind the drug trafficking ring spanning India, Australia, and New Zealand. Sadiq, who has five film productions to his credit, allegedly operated a cartel that transported pseudoephedrine from India to Australia and New Zealand. Four individuals from Tamil Nadu were apprehended in a Delhi warehouse two weeks prior.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.