Overview
- The Enforcement Directorate carried out coordinated searches at five sites in Madurai and Chennai on Tuesday and seized documents and digital devices as part of a money‑laundering inquiry.
- The PMLA probe was opened on the basis of two 2024 DRI cases that seized 99 kg of hashish from a fishing boat in the Gulf of Mannar and about 37.6 kg of methamphetamine at Madurai, with reported market values of roughly ₹108 crore and ₹150 crore respectively.
- The ED alleges a local man, John Britto, is the syndicate's mastermind and a habitual offender who used fishermen and boat owners to move consignments to contacts off Sri Lanka.
- Investigators say the recent searches focused on financial records and electronic evidence to trace transaction flows, identify intermediaries and establish links between proceeds and accused individuals under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
- The case highlights how Indian agencies use maritime intelligence from the Coast Guard and layered legal powers under NDPS, Customs and PMLA to shift from seizing drugs to targeting the network's finances and possible asset recovery.