Hyderabad: The Eagle Team drug network operation led by Telangana police resulted in the arrest of 20 people across multiple states for allegedly aiding hawala transfers to foreign drug cartels.
The accused were picked up during coordinated raids in Mumbai, Delhi, Rajasthan, Ahmedabad, Pune, Hyderabad, and Goa. According to investigators, they facilitated the laundering of drug money through hawala channels, primarily to Nigeria.
Eagle Team seizes ₹3 crore, exposes foreign links
The arrested individuals are believed to have moved cash earned from drug sales to international cartels. The police have so far recovered ₹3.84 crore in illegal funds from the suspects.
Officials confirmed that the money originated from large-scale drug distribution in India. These operations used pharma companies as a front in Hyderabad, where banned substances were manufactured and then supplied to other states and countries.
Investigators found that the accused sold mephedrone to drug mafias under the guise of pharmaceutical distribution. The substance, produced in Hyderabad, was not used for medicine but instead supplied nationwide and internationally, including to Mumbai. Profits from these sales were sent to Nigeria through hawala.
The Telangana government established the Eagle Team to crack down on drug activity in Hyderabad. This operation marks one of its largest successes so far.
