NCB arrests TN politician, movie producer Jaffer Sadiq in drug trafficking case
NCB arrests former DMK functionary and Tamil movie producer Jaffer Sadiq in Rs.2,000 crore drug trafficking racket. Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu protest.
New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested Jaffer Sadiq, a former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) functionary and Tamil movie producer, in connection with the Rs.2,000 crore drug trafficking racket the agency busted last month, officials said.
NCB deputy director general (operations) Gyaneshwar Singh confirmed Sadiq’s arrest. “He is the kingpin of the India-Australia-New Zealand drug trafficking network, which we were probing. We will share details in the afternoon,” Singh said on Saturday.
NCB officials said Sadiq is a prominent movie producer who has produced or co-produced at least four movies. His fifth movie is set for release later this month.
“We are probing if drug money was used in his production company. It looks like his production company was a front to launder money. He was on the run for the past two weeks,” a second NCB officer, who asked not to be named, said.
Over the past two weeks, opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have launched protests against Jaffer’s alleged involvement in the drugs racket.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary and leader of the opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami had demanded chief minister MK Stalin to respond on how a party leader was the kingpin of the drugs racket.
Palaniswami had on Friday said that they would protest across the state on March 12 on Jaffer’s alleged role in running such a big cartel.
The NCB on February 24 said that the cartel was busted on February 15 after a four-month-long joint probe by NCB and Delhi police. The agency said that acting on a tip-off from New Zealand and Australian police authorities about pseudoephedrine being sent to their countries from India under the guise of food products, three men were caught red-handed from their warehouse in west Delhi’s Basai Darapur. The cartel used air and ship cargo to send their products.
“We received information from New Zealand customs authorities and Australian police that large quantities of pseudoephedrine concealed in desiccated coconut powder was being sent to both countries. Further inputs from the US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) indicated that the source of the consignments was Delhi,” Gyaneshwar Singh said on February 24.
The three men from Tamil Nadu were caught red-handed while packing around 50 kg of pseudoephedrine in a health supplement packet. The probe so far has revealed that in the last three years, the cartel sent 45 consignments containing approximately 3500kg of pseudoephedrine valued at over ₹2000cr in the international market.
The officer aware of the details, who asked not to be named, said, “The producer turned politician was in touch with a cartel in Australia and New Zealand who gave orders for pseudoephedrine. We are probing if he has more warehouses like the one in West Delhi. He also roped people from Tamil Nadu to work in the cartel. We have information that he has been active in this drug trade for the last few years and has successfully smuggled the drug outside India through different routes.”
The officer added that the cartel took advantage of the high demand for methamphetamine, especially in Australia. Also last month, the NCB had busted a clandestine laboratory in Ludhiana, where the cartel hired three Mexican nationals to prepare methamphetamine. The three men were flown to India in November 2023 for their expertise in making methamphetamine with almost 90% purity.
Pseudoephedrine is used to make methamphetamine, which is the highest drug in demand worldwide. Pseudoephedrine is a precursor chemical that is used in the manufacture of Methamphetamine, a dangerous and highly addictive synthetic drug. It is classified as a controlled substance in India, bringing strict regulation on its production, possession, trade, export and use.