3 min readDelhiUpdated: Jun 24, 2026 09:02 PM IST
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at five locations in Delhi linked to businessman Harpreet Singh Talwar and his associates as part of a money laundering probe into the 2,988-kg heroin consignment seized at Gujarat’s Mundra port in 2021, officials said.
The searches, carried out by the agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), are aimed at tracing the proceeds of crime generated from what investigators have described as one of the country’s biggest drug trafficking cases.
According to officials, the raids covered premises linked to Talwar, another person, Shamshudeen, and their associates. Investigators suspect proceeds from the narcotics trade were invested in nightclubs and other businesses in Delhi.
Talwar, also known as Kabir Talwar, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in August 2022 in connection with the case. He was recently released on bail.
Talwar has figured in previous ED actions too. In March 2021, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested him in Mumbai in a case involving the alleged smuggling of 21.6 lakh ‘Gudang Garam’ cigarette sticks valued at Rs 4.75 crore. The DRI had then alleged that the cigarettes were concealed in an import consignment arriving from Dubai.
A Delhi University graduate, Talwar began his career in import-export trade. Over the years, he cultivated the image of a high-profile businessman known for an affluent lifestyle and a collection of luxury automobiles.
The latest money laundering probe stems from the September 2021 seizure of 2,988.21 kg of heroin at Mundra port by the DRI. The narcotics, concealed in a consignment declared as semi-processed talc stones imported from Afghanistan via Iran, were valued at over Rs 21,000 crore in the international market.
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The NIA, which subsequently took over the investigation and registered a narco-terror case, alleged that the smuggling operation was part of an international network involving Afghan, Iranian and Pakistani nationals. The agency also alleged links between the drug trafficking syndicate and Pakistan-based terror organisations, including the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
In court earlier this year, the NIA told the Supreme Court that proceeds from the Mundra heroin consignment were routed back to the consignors and used for funding LeT’s terrorist activities. The agency alleged that the narcotics were trafficked into India disguised as legitimate imports and the legal export-import channel was exploited by the conspirators.
The NIA had previously alleged that Talwar and other accused were part of an international drug smuggling network that imported heroin through shell companies and facilitated its movement to distribution networks operating across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The agency’s chargesheet has named several Afghan nationals, Indian businessmen and foreign-based conspirators, alleging that multiple consignments had been imported into India before the September 2021 shipment was intercepted at Mundra.
