ED Secures Conviction Of Two In Cocaine Trafficking Money Laundering Case

(MENAFN- IANS) Chandigarh, Sep 4 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate's (ED) Chandigarh Zonal office has secured the conviction of Dara Singh and Gurdarshan Singh in a money-laundering case linked to the trafficking of 1.230 kg of cocaine, the ED said in a press statement here on Friday.

The judgment reinforces the central agency's efforts to dismantle the financial networks that sustain illicit drug trafficking.

The special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at SAS Nagar in Mohali, in its judgment dated September 3, convicted both accused for the offence of money laundering under Section 3 of the PMLA, 2002, which is punishable under Section 4 of the Act.

Each of them has been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for three years along with a fine of Rs 5,000.

The ED investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR (first information report) registered by the Punjab Police.

Both accused were subsequently convicted in the scheduled offence under Sections 22 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

During the probe, the ED found that two cheques -- one of Rs 6 lakh and another of Rs 4 lakh -- aggregating to Rs 10 lakh were connected with the dealings relating to the contraband.

"The Special Court held that both the seized cocaine and the aforesaid cheques fall within the definition of "property" and constitute "Proceeds of Crime" under the PMLA, 2002, as they were the result of criminal activity relating to the scheduled offence," the central agency said.

The conviction shows the ED's strategy of targeting not only the narcotics offences themselves but also the financial proceeds generated from such crimes.

By attaching and prosecuting the economic benefits derived from drug trafficking, the agency aims to strike at the roots of the illicit trade and disrupt the larger ecosystem that enables it.

Officials noted that such outcomes strengthen the overall fight against the drug menace by ensuring that those who generate and circulate the proceeds of crime are held accountable under the stringent provisions of the PMLA.

Further related investigations, wherever required, remain under progress.

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