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ED uncovers Pak-linked narco-terror funding network in J&K, Punjab

Early Times Report

Jammu, July 24: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has unearthed a well-organised narco-terror funding network operating between Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, with links extending across the Line of Control (LoC) to Pakistan-based handlers associated with the banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.
As part of the ongoing money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, the ED's Jammu Sub-Zonal Office on Thursday conducted simultaneous searches at nine locations across Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, including areas near the Line of Control (LoC). The action is linked to cases registered by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Punjab Police.
According to the ED, the investigation has revealed a multi-layered cross-border narco-terror network involving Punjab-based handlers Satnam Singh and Manjit Singh alias Maan, along with Kashmir-based operatives Safeer Ahmed and Kafeel Ahmed from Kupwara district, located close to the LoC.
The probe found that heroin consignments were smuggled into India from Pakistan through handlers linked to Hizbul Mujahideen. These consignments were routed through the Amrohi border/LoC-adjoining areas with the help of Kashmir-based operatives before being transported to Punjab through an organised distribution network.
In one such case, investigators found that 35 packets of heroin were smuggled across the border. Of these, five packets were retained for local distribution, while the remaining 30 packets were concealed inside the tyre of a truck and transported to Srinagar. The consignment was later handed over to Punjab-based carriers Sarabjeet Singh and Honey Basra, who were intercepted by security agencies at Banihal in September 2023 with approximately 31 kilograms of heroin.
The ED said the Punjab-based network, allegedly headed by Satnam Singh and Manjit Singh alias Maan, relied on forged documents, fake vehicle registration papers, specially designed concealed cavities in vehicles, multiple transport vehicles, and cash transactions to facilitate the transportation and distribution of heroin.
Investigators also uncovered several other instances in which heroin consignments, cumulatively exceeding 60 kilograms, were transported from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab through the same network. Carriers and transporters were allegedly deployed to collect narcotics from Kashmir-based operatives and deliver them to Punjab for further distribution.
According to the ED, the proceeds generated from the sale of heroin were diverted to finance terrorist activities, establishing a direct link between narcotics trafficking and terror funding.
The investigation further revealed suspicious banking transactions, including high-value cash deposits in the accounts of Manjit Singh alias Maan and multiple cash deposits in the account of Sarabjeet Singh, indicating the laundering of proceeds derived from narcotics trafficking.
The agency said the searches, particularly in border and LoC-adjoining areas, are significant as they target the source-side logistics and local facilitators supporting the cross-border narcotics supply chain.
During the searches, the ED seized several incriminating documents, financial records and bank-related documents under the provisions of the PMLA. It also froze multiple bank accounts containing nearly Rs 49.9 lakh. The investigation is continuing.