Jalandhar, June 18 -- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out simultaneous raids across six states, including Punjab, as part of a money laundering investigation linked to a major drug trafficking syndicate initially exposed by the Punjab Police. Over 15 locations in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra were searched in connection with a case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED had initiated its probe based on a February 20, 2024, FIR registered under Sections 22-C, 25, 27-A, and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at the STF police station in SAS Nagar. An ED official confirmed that the raids were underway at multiple premises, including residences of Intezar Salmani in Jalandhar's Deol Nagar and Sukhwinder Singh alias Dhami in Kot Muhammad Khan village, Tarn Taran. The case traces back to February last year, when Punjab Police's special task force (STF) arrested Sukhwinder Singh and Jaspreet Singh, alias Jass, from Beas, recovering 4.24 lakh narcotic tablets/capsules and Rs.1 lakh in suspected drug proceeds. A subsequent three-month investigation led to the arrest of seven more individuals and the seizure of 70.42 lakh tablets/capsules, 725.5 kg of tramadol powder, and an additional Rs.2.37 lakh in cash. Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav had stated that the probe revealed a large-scale distribution network, resulting in the arrests of Intezar Salmani, Prince Salmani, Baljinder Singh and Suba Singh. The STF later arrested the alleged kingpin, Alex Paliwal, from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, and recovered 9.04 lakh tablets/capsules along with Rs.1.37 lakh in drug money. Based on his disclosures, the probe extended to Himachal Pradesh, where the police raided Biogenetic Drug Private Limited. Records from the company showed it had manufactured over 20 crore Alprazolam tablets in just eight months, with distribution traced to M/s Aster Pharma in Maharashtra. Further investigations exposed links to Smilex Pharmachem Drug Industries, based in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. A raid on Smilex led to the seizure of 47.32 lakh capsules and 725.5 kg of tramadol powder, enough to manufacture 1.5 crore narcotic capsules. Records showed the company procured 6,500 kg of tramadol powder in a year. The ED is now examining the financial transactions and alleged laundering of drug proceeds through these pharmaceutical firms. The searches were ongoing at the time of filing this report....