#JUSTIN: ED Arrests International Drug Lord in Ludhiana! Major Syndicate Busted
ED Nabs Global Drug Lord in Ludhiana Crackdown
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) struck a major blow to an international drug syndicate Friday, April 4, 2025, arresting its alleged kingpin, Akshay Kumar Chhabra, from Ludhiana.
The Jalandhar Zonal Office nabbed Chhabra under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, tying him to a sprawling narcotics trafficking network laced with money laundering. Hauled before a Jalandhar Special Court the same day, his capture marks a high-stakes win for the agency.
Chhabra, a shadowy figure long on law enforcement’s radar, is accused of masterminding a global drug racket that funneled illicit proceeds through hawala channels. The ED’s probe zeroes in on a syndicate smuggling heroin—sometimes masked in tomato and pomegranate juice cans—across borders, with tendrils stretching to Pakistan and Dubai.
Sources peg the operation’s value at Rs 150 crore, blending narco-terror profits with laundered cash. The arrest follows months of tracking, spotlighting Ludhiana as a nerve center for this cross-border web.
Authorities say Chhabra’s empire thrived on deception and dirty money, exploiting Punjab’s proximity to smuggling routes. The ED’s move signals a ramped-up war on drug-funded terror, with more arrests looming as the investigation unravels the syndicate’s full reach. For now, Ludhiana’s kingpin is off the streets—and the heat’s on his global network.
