Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

The Rs 6,000-crore drug smuggling racket was unearthed in 2013, former Arjuna Award-winning wrestler and ex-police officer Jagdish Bhola along with 12 other were charged in running the multi-crore synthetic drug racket.

The 8,400-page charge sheet was filed before the PMLA court at Mohali in 2013. Bhola was charged with producing ICE (crystal methamphetamine) for rave parties and for smuggling over 300kg drugs, including ICE and heroin out of India. During the investigation, he revealed the names of several influential persons and NRIs and NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon was also arrested in 2013 in connection with the same.

In the recent progress of the case the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday, named former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) minister Swaran Singh Phillaur, his son Damanvir and ex-chief parliamentary secretary Avinash Chander in its charge sheet in the drug scam.

Jagjitpal Singh Sarao, the special prosecutor for ED, said that Phillaur and Chander are charged with laundering around Rs 5 crore earned by the drug trade. ED assistant director Niranjan Singh said that the crores of money earned by the drug trade have been either saved or invested in movable and non-movable items. During the investigation,  Rs 1,91,64,800 were recovered in cash and other recovery was in the form of foreign exchange, pistols, cartridges and luxury vehicles.

Although the case has been registered since 2013 and this is the fifth supplementary charge sheet to be filed in Punjab’s biggest drug scam, it is the first time that prominent political leaders are named to be involved in the case.