The Principal Sessions and Special Court overseeing cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) three days’ custody of Jaffer Sadiq, international drug kingpin and former DMK functionary, on 16 July 2024.
Judge S Alli issued this ruling in response to the ED’s application, which originally sought 15 days’ custody. The judge allowed custody from 17 to 19 July 2024, with conditions including permission for relatives to visit Sadiq on 18 July 2024 and mandating his appearance in court on 19 July 2024.
During the hearing, ED’s special public prosecutor N Ramesh argued that custodial interrogation was necessary because Sadiq had been uncooperative and evasive during questioning at Tihar jail, where he was held following his arrest by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on drug smuggling charges. Ramesh emphasized that obtaining custody was crucial to uncovering the source of the proceeds from his alleged criminal activities.
In his defence, Sadiq’s senior counsel, Abudu Kumar Rajarathinam, countered that seeking custody based on Sadiq’s alleged evasiveness and non-cooperation was unfounded. He pointed out that the ED had already been granted permission to interrogate Sadiq twice while he was in Tihar jail and had completed its questioning. Rajarathinam argued that seeking custody again on these grounds was not permissible under the law.
Earlier, on 15 July 2024, the Principal Sessions and Special Court had remanded Sadiq to judicial custody for 15 days in connection with a money laundering case filed by the ED. This followed his transfer from Tihar Jail to Chennai, where the ED sought his remand after formally arresting him using a prisoner transfer warrant issued by the NCB.
Who Is Jaffer Sadiq?
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 unraveled 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.
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