The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday carried out its first-ever raid along the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram and focused on what officials described as a large and organised network involved in drug trafficking and money laundering, PTI reported while quoting officials. The searches also continued in parts of Assam and Gujarat.

During the operation, the agency seized Rs 35 lakh in cash along with several digital devices, they said.

Searches were carried out in Aizawl and Champhai in Mizoram, Sribhumi in Karimganj in Assam, and Ahmedabad in Gujarat under the rules of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The case is based on a Mizoram Police FIR that reported the seizure of 4.72 kg of heroin worth Rs 1.41 crore from six people. Officials said these searches are the first time the agency has operated along the Champhai stretch of the India-Myanmar border. India shares a 1,643 km-long border with Myanmar on its eastern side.

A financial review of the arrested people showed “financial linkages” between some firms in Mizoram and certain companies based in Gujarat, officials said.

They said the Gujarat companies supplied Pseudoephedrine tablets and Caffeine Anhydrous which are chemicals used to make methamphetamine tablets to the Mizoram firms that were allegedly linked to drug smugglers working through Champhai. The officials said these smugglers also used hawala routes with the help of people known for repeat offences.

Officials added that some financial transactions of the Mizoram firms were traced to shell companies in Kolkata that had bought the consignment of Caffeine Anhydrous.

“The precursor chemicals used in methamphetamine production are transported from India to Myanmar through the porous international border, where they are processed, and the final products are then brought back into India, mainly via Mizoram,” the officials said.

The agency’s review also found bank deposits of Rs 52.8 crore linked to narco hawala operators, which included cash deposits made in Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, West Bengal, Tripura, and Delhi.

During the searches, some hawala operators are being questioned on site, officials said, as the investigation continues into the cross-border drug and money laundering network.