Enforcement Directorate raids 16 sites in Assam and West Bengal over areca nut smuggling

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at 16 locations across West Bengal and Assam as part of a money-laundering investigation into a syndicate smuggling foreign-origin areca nuts into India. The investigation focuses on an alleged network that brings Indonesian and Thai areca nuts into Mizoram via the India-Myanmar border.

According to officials, the syndicate reportedly used local residents as front proprietors for firms to route transactions worth hundreds of crores of rupees. The smuggled goods were allegedly transported to gutka and pan masala manufacturers in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Maharashtra using forged GST and transport documents.

Searches targeted premises linked to transporters and businessmen, including Dhiraj Ghosh, Sandeep Baid, Binoy Barman, and Navratan Baid, as well as logistics firms Jai Karni Tradings Pvt Ltd and Purvottar Agro Pvt Ltd. The agency is also investigating a Siliguri-based network accused of collecting monthly payments from truck operators to ensure the unchecked movement of consignments through Assam, West Bengal, and Bihar.