The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Hyderabad Zonal Office, has provisionally attached ₹5.67 crore assets of Lucent Drugs Pvt. Ltd. under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, for illegal export of Tramadol to Pakistan. The enforcement action is based on an investigation on the complaint of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Bangalore Zonal Unit, under the NDPS Act, 1985.

Key Highlights:
Lucent Drugs Utilized in Illicit Tramadol Exports:

• The company received the first No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Central Bureau of Narcotics to export Tramadol into Pakistan.

• Subsequent exportation requests were rejected, but the firm continued to illegally re-export Tramadol via third-party business operations in Denmark and Malaysia.

Export of Tramadol Using Fraudulent Channels:

• M/s CHR Olesen Pharmaceuticals (Denmark) shipped out 13,800 kg Tramadol worth ₹4.12 crore to Pakistan.

• 5,000 kg of Tramadol worth ₹1.33 crore were shipped by M/s SM Biomed (Malaysia).

• Lucent Drug's bank accounts had a total of ₹5.46 crore of illegal proceeds resulting from such illegal transactions.

Frozen Assets under PMLA:

• Telangana's Sangareddy district has seen properties, buildings, and factory premises seized under money laundering laws.

• The investigations revealed forgery of export authorizations documents and records.

Quotes of Authorities Enforcement Directorate Officer:
"Lucent Drugs had got export clearance of Tramadol initially but then, in light of repeated rejection, re-exported the medicine illegally through the middlemen of Malaysia and Denmark to Pakistan."The ED continues to investigate its inquiry against financial malpractices and money laundering crimes in relation to Lucent Drugs Pvt. Ltd. The authorities are tracing additional proceeds of crime, and criminal proceedings are to be initiated against promoters and directors of the company who indulged in the illicit business of psychotropic drugs.