Investigators say Nihal V.N. converted narcotics proceeds collected in India into cryptocurrency and foreign exchange, routing funds to suppliers in Brazil and Thailand as part of a wider drug-trafficking network.
India’s Enforcement Directorate has arrested Dubai-based Indian national Nihal V.N. in a money-laundering case tied to an alleged cross-border crypto-hawala pipeline linked to narcotics trafficking. The agency said he acted as a key financial conduit for a network that collected drug-sale cash in India, converted it into cryptocurrency and foreign exchange, and sent value to suppliers in Brazil and Thailand to finance fresh consignments of narcotics and synthetic drugs destined for India. The Goa Zonal Office arrested him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, and a Special PMLA Court in Goa remanded him to seven days of agency custody until July 28. The case stems from a Goa Police Anti-Narcotics Cell FIR under the NDPS Act and an ED money-laundering probe against Madhupan Suresh Sasikala and others after drug seizures in Goa worth about Rs 1.1 crore, including 1,825 LSD blots as well as cocaine, charas and DMT. Investigators have also flagged illicit crypto wallets, offshore bank accounts and domestic shell entities allegedly used to layer proceeds. The arrest comes as Indian authorities intensify scrutiny of crypto-linked money laundering, narcotics trafficking and cyber-enabled crime.