📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum
Crime
Operation Trident uncovers Rs 100‑crore hawala network linked to drug cartel in Northeast India
✍️ India Today
🗓 25 Oct 2026, 10:16 PM
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A police crackdown under Operation Trident has revealed a Rs 100‑crore hawala money‑laundering network tied to a drug cartel operating across several Northeast states.
Police officials said that Operation Trident, a coordinated effort by central and state law‑enforcement agencies, intercepted a massive hawala channel moving roughly Rs 100 crore. The money trail was traced to a drug trafficking syndicate that has been active in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and neighbouring states.
Investigators uncovered a series of unrecorded cash transfers, offshore accounts and front companies used to conceal the proceeds of narcotics sales. The hawala network enabled the cartel to finance procurement of illicit substances and to launder earnings without attracting banking scrutiny.
Authorities have detained several suspects and seized cash, documents and communication devices. The probe remains ongoing, with officials promising further arrests and a crackdown on parallel money‑laundering operations linked to organised crime in the region.
Investigators uncovered a series of unrecorded cash transfers, offshore accounts and front companies used to conceal the proceeds of narcotics sales. The hawala network enabled the cartel to finance procurement of illicit substances and to launder earnings without attracting banking scrutiny.
Authorities have detained several suspects and seized cash, documents and communication devices. The probe remains ongoing, with officials promising further arrests and a crackdown on parallel money‑laundering operations linked to organised crime in the region.