Chennai: Tamil film producer and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) Chennai West Deputy Organiser (NRI Wing), AR Jaffer Sadiq, has been permanently expelled from the party following allegations of involvement in drug smuggling activities. The announcement came on Sunday, with the party urging its members to sever ties with Sadiq immediately.

Sadiq was among the four individuals who are under the radar of Delhi police and NCB for their alleged involvement in the recently busted international drug cartel’s operation.

Why did DMK Kicked Jaffer Sadiq?

His dismissal came after reports linked him to a drug smuggling operation intercepted by Customs officers at the Delhi airport on February 24. The operation led to the arrest of three individuals from Tamil Nadu in possession of pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in methamphetamine production. Further investigation implicated Sadiq as the ringleader or mastermind of the international smuggling network, allegedly with his brothers based in Chennai. Law enforcement authorities in Chennai are currently seeking Sadiq and his siblings for questioning.

International Drug Cartel’s Operations Busted in West Delhi

According to prior reports, the drug trafficking network with which Sadiq is allegedly associated was operating across India, New Zealand, Australia, and Malaysia and was dismantled by the Delhi police alongside NCB. The operation, centred in Delhi, resulted in the seizure of 50 kilograms of pseudoephedrine. 

The network disguised the pseudoephedrine as food products like Health Mix Powder and Desiccated Coconut, using air and sea cargo for transportation. The investigation began after customs authorities in New Zealand and police in Australia provided information about large-scale smuggling of pseudoephedrine hidden in coconut powder from Delhi.

After four months of surveillance, a raid in West Delhi led to the seizure and the arrest of three cartel members from Tamil Nadu. Interrogations revealed that the cartel had dispatched 45 consignments totaling around 3,500 kilograms of pseudoephedrine over three years, valued at over Rs 2000 crore in the international market. However, Sadiq, as per reports, is still at large, and efforts are underway to arrest him and dismantle the entire network, with cooperation from authorities in New Zealand and Australia.

Pseudoephedrine is a controlled substance under the NDPS Act, 1985, with strict penalties for possession and trade.