In a major crackdown, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday (September 3, 2026) conducted searches at 30 locations across Tamil Nadu , Keralam , Karnataka , and Telangana in connection with eight narcotics-related cases.
The fourth Tamil Nadu case relates to M. He was arrested and is currently lodged at the District Jail in Pudukkottai. His wife Anila M. A. was also arrested.
Alex, who was intercepted by the NCB on April 13, 2025, in Melavilakudi with 950 gm of meth hydrochloride. One Kerala case allegedly involves Ayush Vinod, who was arrested by the State police with 1.166 kg of hybrid ganja. A subsequent search of his residence led to the seizure of around 15 kg more hybrid ganja.
“M. The ED has found that Alex and his family members allegedly operated through the bank accounts of unconnected third party individuals. Karthika Selvaraj and Ms. Radhamani as the ultimate beneficiaries.
A series of gold loans were raised between July 2024 and March 2025, with the agency suspecting Ms.
Alex is suspected to have amassed properties from income derived from drug dealing and registered them in the names of his family members, including Mahalingam (father), Radhamani (mother), Karthika (wife), and Yogesh (brother), among others,” the official said. “These loans are then repaid from the funds allegedly arranged by Alex and his family members,” the official said. “The accused, a closely related family group operating out of Lodha Basthi, Nanakramguda, ran an organised syndicate that procured ganja (marijuana) at low prices from sources in Odisha, Araku, and Dhoolpet (Hyderabad), stored it at their residences, repacked it into small sachets, and sold it at a substantial mark-up across Nanakramguda and adjoining areas,” the official said.
As alleged associate, Harikrishnan V. B., supplied the drug to Ayush and was working with Abu Tahir P. B., who allegedly managed the trafficking network in Kerala. The investigation also uncovered an organised network involving the procurement and movement of hybrid ganja from Bangkok and its distribution in Kerala.
“Investigation has revealed that Syed Ibrahim, an employee of Akbar N. or Akbar Ali at his electronics shop situated in Burma Bazaar, Chennai, played an active role in facilitating the financial transactions connected with the illicit drug trafficking syndicate,” the official said, adding that a ‘hawala’ channel was used to pay ₹8 lakh in advance.
