The Madras High Court on Monday granted bail to alleged drug syndicate head Jaffer Sadiq and his brother Mohamed Saleem in connection with a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Justice Sundar Mohan delivered the order, citing the Supreme Court’s 2024 judgment granting bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as a legal precedent.
Jaffer Sadiq, a former deputy organiser of the DMK’s NRI wing (Chennai West), was arrested on March 9, 2024, by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Delhi unit. He was accused of playing a central role in the trafficking of pseudoephedrine, a controlled substance, to international drug markets including Australia and New Zealand.
Following his arrest, the Enforcement Directorate launched a parallel investigation and registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against Jaffer Sadiq under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency alleged that proceeds from the drug trafficking operations were being laundered through various channels.
Mohamed Saleem, Jaffer’s brother, was also booked in the same case for allegedly aiding the laundering of funds linked to the illicit drug trade.
With the court’s decision to grant bail, both accused will be released from judicial custody, subject to conditions that are expected to be specified in the detailed order. The case, however, remains under active investigation by central agencies.