Burmese network behind large-scale areca nut smuggling via Mizoram: ED probe

As part of the probe, the agency said it has attached a hotel, residential land and other landed properties situated in and around Champhai in Mizoram.

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The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) investigation into large-scale smuggling of dry areca nuts from Myanmar into India via Mizoram has found that an organised network of Burmese suppliers moved the consignments through the Tiau River and border areas around Zokhawthar and Champhai, officials familiar with the details said.

The probe has revealed alleged smuggling of 3103MT of dry areca nuts worth ₹1,022.25 crore, with alleged loss of basic customs duty estimated at ₹408 crore, the officials added.

The federal financial crimes probe agency has attached 10 properties worth ₹8.12 crore, including a hotel in Champhai, in the case.

The money laundering probe stems from the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) 2025 First Information Report (FIR) that alleged large-scale smuggling of dry areca nuts from Myanmar into India through Mizoram by use of fraudulent e-way bills, forged documents and other means.

“Investigation has revealed that an organised network wherein Myanmar suppliers smuggled areca nuts into India through the Tiau River and border areas around Zokhawthar/Champhai. Local facilitators based in Mizoram procured the smuggled areca nuts, arranged their storage and transportation and facilitated their onward movement towards Assam and other destinations. Investigation also revealed alleged use of local persons as claimants or owners of intercepted consignments before Customs authorities and routing of substantial funds through bank accounts and money exchangers for settlement of payments with suppliers situated in Myanmar,” ED said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The investigation revealed alleged smuggling of 3103MT (approx.) of dry areca nuts, having an assessable value of about Rs. 1,022.25 Crore, resulting in alleged loss of Basic Customs Duty of Rs. 408.90 Crore,” it added.

The investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, scrutiny of bank accounts and examination of material seized during searches revealed substantial financial transactions, cash deposits and withdrawals and acquisition of immovable properties out of proceeds generated from the smuggling activities, ED said.

As part of the probe, the agency said it has attached a hotel, residential land and other landed properties situated in and around Champhai in Mizoram.

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  Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More