Lucknow, Dec. 12 -- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday launched extensive searches at 25 locations in connection with an alleged illegal cough-syrup trading network, targeting the premises of key accused Shubham Jaiswal and his associates.

According to officials, the coordinated raids began at 7:30 am and spanned multiple cities across Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Gujarat.

The search properties linked to Jaiswal, his associates Alok Singh and Amit Singh, and several cough-syrup manufacturers were accused of diverting pharmaceutical supplies for unlawful distribution.

The premises connected to chartered accountant Vishnu Aggarwal are also being searched as part of the probe, according to the official.

On December 10, in a ma...