The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Mumbai, has filed a Prosecution Complaint (PC) against Ali Asgar Shirazi and 17 others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The Special PMLA Court here, acknowledged the PC on March 4, marking a pivotal juncture in the ongoing investigation, agency officials said.
“Initiated following an FIR at the city’s Jogeshwari Police Station, under various sections of the NDPS Act, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, the inquiry exposed a complex drug syndicate orchestrated by Ali Asgar Shirazi & Co.,” they said.
Smuggling opioids
The syndicate involved telecommunication companies operating call centres, websites, logistic firms, consultancy entities and dummy pharmaceutical companies. Their illicit operations, according to officials, encompassed the illegal shipment of opioids from India to foreign countries, accompanied by the laundering of proceeds back to India through diverse channels. Key to their activities were call centres in India that played a pivotal role, in handling orders for opioid drugs from the USA and the U.K.
“These drugs were sourced from dummy pharmaceutical companies and transported out of India using logistics firms. Money laundering activities were facilitated through a network of logistics and consultancy firms,” the central agency sleuths said.
Furthermore, the ED found that companies established in the USA by syndicate members operated payment gateways, channelling the proceeds of crime generated through the illegal sale of opioids in the USA back to India. The estimated proceeds amount to ₹44.50 crore.
Earlier in the investigation, the agency provisionally attached immovable and movable properties worth ₹5.37 Crore, belonging to Mr. Shirazi and his associates, under provisions of the PMLA.
Previous search operations resulted in seizure and freezing of bank accounts, fixed deposits, gold/jewelry, etc., totalling approximately ₹2.9 Crore, they said. The prime accused, Mr. Shirazi, was apprehended on January 5, and is presently under judicial custody.
