Chennai, June 10:
John Britto, brother of AIADMK MLA Leema Rose, whose son-in-law is Tamil Nadu Minister Aadhav Arjuna, on Tuesday filed a formal complaint at the Chennai Police Commissioner’s office demanding action against false and defamatory information linking him to a major drug trafficking case was being circulated on social media.
The complaint comes in the backdrop of arrest of YouTuber Maridhas. Reports and social media posts had suggested that Britto was connected to an alleged international drug trafficking network, a claim he has strongly denied.
Speaking to reporters after submitting the petition, Britto clarified that he had no connection whatsoever with any narcotics-related case.
He stated that he only came across the allegations recently and was shocked to see his name being associated with serious criminal charges without any basis.
He acknowledged that there is an ongoing lottery-related case against him in Kerala, but emphasised that it has no link to any drug trafficking investigation.
According to him, certain individuals were deliberately attempting to connect that case with a high-profile enforcement investigation to tarnish his reputation.
The controversy intensified after enforcement authorities reportedly conducted searches in connection with a Rs 258 crore international drug trafficking case, where another individual named John Britto was alleged to be involved. This led to confusion and speculation on social media, with some posts drawing connections between the accused and political figures.
Britto alleged that the misinformation campaign was politically motivated and aimed at damaging not only his personal image but also affecting his family, including his sister Leema Rose. He said that such false narratives were impacting his professional and political standing.
In his complaint, Britto has urged the police to take strict legal action against those spreading defamatory content online. He has also requested authorities to ensure that all misleading and false posts about him are removed from social media platforms.
Stressing the distinction, he stated, “That John Britto is different, I am different,” and called upon the public and media to avoid spreading unverified information.
The Chennai Police Commissioner’s office is expected to examine the complaint and take appropriate action under relevant legal provisions regarding misinformation and defamation.
The Enforcement Directorate, Chennai Zonal Office has conducted search operations at five places located in Chennai and Ramanathapuram in a matter related to cross border smuggling of Narcotics substances, under PMLA, 2002 on May 26,2026. During the search operations, various incriminating evidence were found and seized.
ED said the probe was based on two complaints filed by the DRIfor offences under various sections of the NDPS Act, 1985.
In the first case, in a joint operation, DRI officials and Indian Coast Guard intercepted a country boat in Gulf of Mannar and seized 99 kg of hashish (marked value Rs 108 crore) being smuggled to Sri Lanka on March 5, 2024. In the second case, DRI seized 37.645 kg of Methamphetamine (Rs 150 crore market value) from one phillomen Prakash at Madurai Railway station, while he was transporting the said narcotic drug from Chennai to Madurai for supplying to his associates.
Subsequent probe revealed that John Britto was the mastermind of the smuggling of narcotic substance in both the instances. He was procuring them and was attempting to smuggle to Sri Lanka using the sea route with the help of few fishermen/boat owners named Remistan, Ramish, Jansan and Pratap, who were supposed to get their commission in lieu of transporting and supplying these drugs on John Britto’s orders.
For his operations, John Britto was routing money through hawala channels to remunerate the carriers, his relatives and close associates.
By these activities, he and his associates generated proceeds of crime.
It was also found that John Britto was absconding and was operating his syndicate remtely from foreign locations.
Following this, opposition parties in Tamil Nadu demanded action against Minister as he was closely related to John Britto, who today in a bid to provide clarity, filed a police complaint stating that he was not the one named by the ED.