Goa: ED charges seven in Rs 88 lakh int’l drug money laundering case

Panaji: Enforcement Directorate (ED), Panaji, has filed a prosecution complaint against seven accused persons, including foreign nationals, in connection with an alleged international drug trafficking and money laundering case. The financial probe revealed the generation of proceeds of crime worth Rs 88.1 lakh linked to drug trafficking. It also uncovered the use of shell entities and benami accounts to route funds.

The complaint has been filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) against Tanzanian national Vedasto Audax, Zimbabwe nationals Tariro Brightmore Mangwana, Reshma Wadekar, and Mangesh Wadekar, along with Indian nationals Masoom Uikey, Chirag Dudhat, and Nibu Vincent.




According to ED, the case stems from an FIR registered by Goa police crime branch regarding the smuggling of 4.3kg of cocaine into India from Laos. The agency stated that it had conducted nationwide search operations across Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Goa, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, leading to the seizure of significant digital evidence, incriminating documents, and the freezing of several bank accounts suspected to be linked to laundering activities.

During the investigation, ED arrested Mangwana for his central role in facilitating international narcotics trafficking and laundering illicit proceeds of crime generated from the smuggling of narcotic drugs. “Mangwana was found to have facilitated travel arrangements and financed Indian nationals acting as drug couriers,” ED said, adding that he received commissions for these activities from key accused Vedasto Audax.

In accordance with PMLA provisions, ED has also issued a provisional attachment order (PAO) amounting to Rs 45.2 lakh in respect of a house in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, belonging to one of the accused, Reshma, who allegedly carried 4.3kg of cocaine into India from Vientiane in March 2025.

“The financial investigation done so far by ED has revealed the generation of proceeds of the crime to the tune of Rs 88.1 lakh associated with drug trafficking,” the agency stated. The investigation further uncovered the accused persons’ linkages with international rackets operating from the Golden Triangle, the Middle East, Nepal, and Bangladesh, “clearly demonstrating the global dimensions of the drug and crime syndcate.” Further investigation is currently under way.