Following the mysterious death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the dark truths of the cinema city shocked everyone. The entire film industry was entangled in the web of drugs. Major names such as actresses Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, and comedian Bharti Singh came to light. The NCB arrested a large number of drug smugglers and peddlers. Now, Tollywood is in the spotlight for its vile drug trade. A joint team from the Narcotics Control Bureau and Delhi Police have arrested Tamil film producer Jaffar Sadik, who was running an international drug syndicate worth 2000 crores. He had connections from cinema to influential political figures.
Though known as a film producer, Jaffar Sadik's true business was drug trafficking, operating in three countries. This merchant of addiction invested the earnings from the drug syndicate in film, real estate, and construction businesses. He had a keen interest in politics and was a member of the prominent South Indian political party, DMK. During interrogation by the NCB, it was revealed that Jaffar gave seven lakh rupees to Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin. Five lakhs were donated to the relief fund during floods, while two lakhs were given to the party fund. The NCB is also investigating the source of this money.
The NCB is writing to the Enforcement Directorate for investigating money laundering. As part of the inquiry, Udhayanidhi Stalin may be called in for questioning, and the NCB is set to summon some major Bollywood film financiers. Jaffar had produced a Tamil film called 'Mangai' using drug money. Interrogations also revealed links to drug cartels in India, Australia, and New Zealand. He had smuggled drugs worth 2000 crores to Australia and New Zealand and sold 3500 kilos of pseudoephedrine over 45 transactions. He was preparing to expand his drug sales to Sri Lanka but was caught by the NCB and Delhi Police before he could proceed. Further interrogation may uncover more significant names involved.
Last month, three accused associated with this drug syndicate were captured. Questioning led to information about Jaffar Sadik, who had been on the run since February 15. Moving through Trivandrum, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Jaipur, he was eventually arrested a week after 180 crores worth of methamphetamine was seized in Madurai and Chennai. Pseudoephedrine disguised as a dry fruit mixture was found, having been shipped to New Zealand and Australia. Jaffar had sent 45 parcels so far, charging one lakh rupees per kilo for the supply. Thus, he had supplied drugs worth 4000 crores. The FBI is also assisting Indian agencies in this drug investigation.
It's worth noting that pseudoephedrine is used to produce methamphetamine, one of the most demanded narcotics worldwide. It is sold in Australia and New Zealand for approximately 1.5 crores per kilo. To dismantle this syndicate, a joint team from Delhi Police's Special Cell and the NCB was formed. Initially, 50 kilos of pseudoephedrine were recovered. Further investigation over four months revealed the syndicate's attempt to send a new shipment to Australia. On February 15, a raid was conducted in a warehouse in Basai Darapur, Delhi. At that time, the accused were trying to pack pseudoephedrine in a cover shipment of multi-grain food mixture. During the raid, 50 kilos of the narcotic substance was recovered.
