The Enforcement Directorate has exposed a sophisticated cross-border narcotics trafficking network in which Myanmar nationals secretly misused GST credentials belonging to Indian citizens to purchase massive quantities of raw materials essential for manufacturing methamphetamine tablets. This elaborate scheme allowed drug producers across the border to bypass restrictions and build a steady supply chain that fuelled illegal production and smuggling into India.

Federal investigators conducted their first-ever searches along the India-Myanmar border on November 27, targeting locations in Aizawl and Champhai districts of Mizoram, Sribhumi in Assam’s Karimganj, and Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Acting under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, raid teams uncovered clear evidence that Indian individuals were procuring Pseudoephedrine tablets and Caffeine Anhydrous on behalf of Myanmar-based traffickers, enabling large-scale drug manufacturing and systematic money laundering.

The 1,643-kilometre porous border between India and Myanmar has long facilitated smuggling, but this investigation revealed a new level of deception through identity theft. Myanmar nationals exploited stolen or borrowed GST numbers of unsuspecting Indians to place bulk orders for controlled chemicals, effectively hiding their involvement while Indian suppliers unknowingly supported the illicit trans-border drug trade.

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During the multi-state operation, authorities seized Rs 46.7 lakh in cash from hawala operators and froze 21 bank accounts linked to the laundering network. The case originated from a Mizoram Police seizure of 4.72 kg of heroin worth Rs 1.41 crore from six individuals, which triggered the money laundering probe that has now exposed the full extent of the GST misuse racket.

As the Enforcement Directorate continues its investigation, the discovery has raised serious concerns about the vulnerability of India’s GST system to international criminal networks. With financial trails stretching across multiple states and direct links to methamphetamine production in Myanmar, authorities warn that such identity theft schemes threaten both national security and the integrity of India’s taxation framework.

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