Jaffer Sadiq has done four films so far in the South film industry.

New Delhi:

A film producer has been arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs worth over Rs 2,000 crore out of the country. The Narcotics Control Bureau said on Saturday that Jaffer Sadiq, a former DMK official who worked in the southern film industry, was arrested after a four-month manhunt.

The NCB named Sadiq as the “kingpin” of the Indo-Australia-New Zealand drug trafficking network. He is said to have smuggled drugs worth Rs 2,000 crore to Australia and New Zealand.

“He sent pseudoephedrine abroad more than 45 times, totaling 3,500 kilograms,” a senior official said.

Sadiq has made four films so far, the last of which is expected to be released this month.

A week ago, police seized Rs 180 crore worth of methamphetamine from two railway passengers at a dumpsite in Madurai and Chennai. The drugs were intended to be smuggled into Sri Lanka.

A total of 36 kilograms of items were seized from the passenger couple on February 29 and another 6 kilograms were seized from the Kodungaiyur garbage dump in Chennai, officials said. The couple were detained after suffering a seizure.

Methamphetamine, also known as ‘ice’ or ‘crystal meth’, is a highly addictive psychostimulant drug that has powerful euphoric effects similar to cocaine and can have life-threatening consequences, the Tax Intelligence Service said.

After the anti-narcotics operation, BJP state president K Annamalai lashed out at the ruling DMK and said Tamil Nadu has become the drug capital of India.

“International drug lord and DMK worker Jaffar Sadiq is on the run. NCB is raiding establishments of DMK workers. Seizure worth Rs 1,200 crore off the coast of Gujarat on way to Tamil Nadu of methamphetamine, 30 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized in transit in India today. Madurai is under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence,” he posted online.

Three other people linked to the international drug syndicate were recently arrested from Delhi by the National Crime Agency. The FBI is also working with Indian agencies on the narcotics investigation.