New Delhi, March 9 : Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested former DMK functionary Jaffer Sadiq in connection with the smuggling of drugs valued at Rs 2,000 crore.

The NCB said that it apprehended the drug "baron" on Saturday.

Sadiq, a former office bearer of the NRI cell of DMK, had also produced films and has been on the run for the past few days after the NCB arrested a few of his aides a week before.

The racket was busted after New Zealand and Australian authorities informed Indian agencies that drugs concealed in food products were being smuggled to their countries.

Sadiq was sacked from the DMK amid reports of his links with the international drug cartel.

Deputy Director General, NCB, Gyaneshwar Singh said that after developing specific intelligence, they arrested Sadiq, the kingpin of the drug trafficking network busted by NCB in February 2024.

Sadiq was absconding and had been on the run since February 15 when NCB had seized 50.070kg of Pseudoephedrine from the godown of a firm named Aventa Company and arrested three accomplices of Sadiq.

'NCB had mounted intense efforts to track down Sadiq after he had gone absconding. We were able to track him down and he was arrested in Delhi,' said Singh.

According to NCB, Sadiq spearheaded a network which sourced Pseudoephedrine in India and trafficked it to Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia in the guise of food-grade cargo.

'It is believed that the drug syndicate operated by him has sent 45 consignments over the past three years to various countries, containing approximately 3,500 kilograms of pseudoephedrine,' said Singh.

Sadiq has also revealed that he has earned a huge amount of money from his illicit drug trafficking operations and has invested the same in legitimate businesses in industries like film, construction, hospitality etc.

'His financial linkages to drug trafficking are under investigation to identify his sources of funds and the beneficiaries of proceeds of drugs. The investigations are still underway, and more details will be revealed soon,' said Singh.

Pseudoephedrine is a precursor chemical that is used in the manufacture of Methamphetamine, a dangerous and highly addictive synthetic drug.

Even though it has some legal uses, it is classified as a controlled substance in India, bringing strict regulation on its production, possession, trade, export and use. Illegal possession and trade is punishable up to 10 years of imprisonment under the NDPS Act, of 1985.

/IANS