The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into a multi-crore illegal codeine-based cough syrup smuggling and money laundering racket in Uttar Pradesh.
In connection with the case, the ED has summoned family members of the arrested accused Vishal Singh and Vibhor Rana for questioning, sources said on Thursday.
According to officials, notices have been issued to their relatives, asking them to appear before the agency on January 5 and January 8. The ED team will question them about sources of income over the past three years, details of movable and immovable properties, and financial transactions. Investigators suspect that a significant portion of the illicit proceeds generated by the syndicate may have been invested through family members.
Kingpin Shubham Jaiswal, believed to be the mastermind of the entire operation, remains absconding. Despite being issued multiple summons to appear before the ED’s Lucknow office, he has failed to comply with three consecutive notices. Sources said the agency is now preparing to initiate the process of issuing a Red Corner Notice to trace him at the international level. There are strong suspicions that Jaiswal is currently hiding in Dubai.
The ED is also closely examining properties linked to Shubham Jaiswal, dismissed police personnel Alok Singh, and Amit Singh Tata. Several raids have already been conducted at locations associated with the accused, during which luxury items, documents related to shell companies, and evidence of large-scale financial transactions were recovered.
The agency is expected to formally question Alok Singh, Amit Singh Tata, and Shubham Jaiswal’s father, Bhola Jaiswal, in the coming days. Bhola Jaiswal has already been arrested in other cases, and his name has repeatedly surfaced during the ongoing investigation.
The case dates back to February 2024, when a large consignment of codeine-based cough syrup was seized from the Sushant Golf City area in Lucknow. An investigation by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) revealed that the syrup, which is legally sold only on prescription, was being illegally trafficked as a narcotic substance to neighbouring countries and various Indian states.
Subsequent arrests exposed the extensive network behind the syndicate, which allegedly operated through fake companies, bogus invoices, and secret warehouses to carry out the smuggling and launder the proceeds. The ED continues to expand its probe to uncover the full scale of the operation and trace the proceeds of crime.