ED Conducts Raids at 25 Sites Linked to UP Cough Syrup Syndicate
Crackdown spans six cities as authorities seize documents, digital devices and track hawala links
UP, Dec 12 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried out extensive raids across six cities as part of its money laundering investigation into the illegal trade of codeine based cough syrup in Uttar Pradesh. ED teams conducted searches at 25 locations connected to the syndicate in Lucknow, Varanasi, Ranchi, Ahmedabad, Jaunpur, and Saharanpur.
In Lucknow, officials raided the residence of dismissed STF constable Alok Pratap Singh, accused in the codeine syrup trafficking case. Acting on intelligence inputs, ED teams recovered suspicious documents, bank transaction files, digital devices, and records allegedly linked to hawala transactions, all taken into custody for further examination. Singh, currently in STF custody, resides in Sushant Golf City on Gosainganj Road, near the home of former Jaunpur MP Dhananjay Singh.
Earlier, Krishna Nagar police arrested two associates of Deepak Manwani Suraj Mishra and Preetam Singh who had been evading authorities. Manwani, a Snehnagar resident, was arrested on October 11 after a joint raid by the Drug Department and police recovered a large quantity of codeine syrup, tablets, capsules, and injections from his home.
During interrogation, Manwani admitted purchasing the illegal drugs from Suraj and Preetam for resale. Arush Saxena, another accomplice, remains absconding, with police searches ongoing. Suraj Mishra, from Sitapur’s Ataria Sadanpur, operates a medicine agency named New Mangalam Ayurvedic, while Preetam Singh, from Bahraich’s Badi Raja village, works at a family restaurant in Purania.
Authorities have intensified their crackdown as investigations continue into the syndicate, aiming to dismantle the illegal trade network of codeine based medicines across Uttar Pradesh.
