New Delhi/Aizawl, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached balances totalling around Rs 4.76 crore in 22 bank accounts in connection with an alleged cross-border narcotics trafficking and money laundering network operating through Mizoram, the agency said on Wednesday.
The ED’s Aizawl Sub-Zonal Office issued the provisional attachment order on September 28 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The agency said its investigation was initiated on the basis of a prosecution complaint filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Agartala Zonal Unit, arising from an NCB case involving the seizure of 49.101 kg of methamphetamine tablets and 40 grams of heroin on August 21, 2025.
The seizure was made during a joint operation between Keifang and Seling in Mizoram.
According to the ED, the NCB investigation indicated the involvement of an organised drug trafficking network operating across international and inter-state boundaries. The agency alleged that narcotics were sourced from Myanmar and brought into Mizoram through the India-Myanmar border before being transported to receivers and handlers elsewhere in India.
The investigation allegedly identified Myanmar-based suppliers, local coordinators, transporters, escort vehicles and receivers as components of the network. The ED said proceeds generated from drug trafficking were collected, routed and layered through bank accounts held in the names of individuals and business entities.
The agency also alleged that an organised hawala network was used to receive, transfer and settle funds linked to the narcotics trade. Several accounts allegedly recorded substantial credits, frequent cash deposits, rapid transfers and transaction volumes that investigators found disproportionate to the declared business profiles of the account holders.
The ED identified Thangchintuaang alias Chintuang, a Myanmar national, as the alleged main kingpin of the network. According to the agency, he was arrested by the NCB in May 2026 and is currently lodged in Central Jail, Aizawl.
During his statement, the ED said, Chintuang admitted his alleged involvement in procuring and supplying heroin and methamphetamine from Myanmar to India and disclosed that he and his associates had supplied the consignment seized by the NCB on August 21, 2025.
The agency said he also disclosed details of the network’s alleged modus operandi, including procurement in Myanmar, transportation through remote routes along the international border, delivery to Indian receivers and the settlement of drug proceeds.
According to the ED, Chintuang also provided details of Indian bank accounts allegedly used for receiving, routing and settling proceeds generated through drug trafficking.
Analysis of the banking trail subsequently revealed substantial inter-account transfers, cash deposits and rapid movement of funds, the agency said. It identified traceable alleged proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 4.76 crore in the 22 bank accounts and provisionally attached the amount under Section 5(1) of the PMLA to prevent its concealment, transfer or dissipation.
The ED said around Rs 3.42 crore found in various bank accounts maintained by the accused and other alleged beneficiaries had earlier been frozen during search operations.
With the latest attachment, the total alleged proceeds of crime secured by the agency so far stand at around Rs 8.19 crore, comprising Rs 3.42 crore frozen earlier and Rs 4.76 crore provisionally attached.
Further investigation is underway.
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