ED freezes over 100 ‘mule’ accounts in cocaine smuggling case, seizes ₹70 lakh cash

The Enforcement Directorate has frozen 110 “Mule” bank accounts, seized ₹70 lakh in cash and found use of a Dubai-based cryptocurrency wallet during searches in a money laundering case linked to alleged drug trafficking in Delhi, a statement said on Sunday.

Mule bank accounts are used to transfer illicit funds and are opened by misusing real or fake customer IDs.

The raids were conducted on November 14 after the federal probe agency took cognizance of a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) complaint dated November 2024 related to the seizure of 82.53 kg of “high grade” cocaine.

ED covered five premises in Delhi-NCR and Jaipur during the searches.

The value of the party drugs seized by the NCB was estimated at ₹900 crore and the central anti-narcotics agency had arrested five people.

The searches indicated an online betting and gambling network operating through a mobile-based application.

“The operation resulted in freezing of 110 bank accounts, including 73 linked to UPI IDs and digital wallets, which were being actively used to handle transactions related to betting operations,” the ED statement said.

It said some of the documents and digital devices seized during the searches show the use of a Dubai-based cryptocurrency wallet for transferring funds.

The ED said ₹70 lakh in cash, incriminating documents, digital devices and financial records were also seized.