ED Conducts Searches in Surat, Bhavnagar in International Narcotics Syndicate Probe

Mumbai: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Mumbai Zonal Office-I, conducted search operations at 11 premises across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra, and Surat and Bhavnagar in Gujarat, on October 28, 2026, as part of a money laundering investigation into an alleged international narcotics trafficking syndicate headed by Navin Chichkar, Dhiraj Chichkar and their associates.

The searches were carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, to trace the drug trafficking network and identify proceeds of crime (PoC) generated through the illicit sale of narcotic substances. The investigation is also aimed at uncovering how drug sale proceeds, largely received in cash, were channelled into the financial system and layered to project them as legitimate income.

The ED initiated its investigation based on a complaint filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Mumbai, under various provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The complaint followed the seizure of substantial quantities of high-grade hydroponic cannabis (ganja), cocaine and unaccounted cash in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.