Punjab: Court convicts Amritsar man in drug trafficking-linked money laundering case

A special court in Punjab has convicted an Amritsar-based man on charges of money laundering in a case linked to narcotics trafficking, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Friday.

Mahabir Singh of Dhun village in Amritsar district was sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment and slapped with a fine of Rs 20,000 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the court in Jalandhar on Thursday, it said in a statement.

The money laundering case was filed by the ED against the man and some others in 2009 on the basis of a Punjab Police FIR that booked him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Arms Act.

Mahabir Singh was earlier convicted in the police registered NDPS case that was linked to the recovery of 15 kg heroin, the agency said.

Probe found, it said, that the ''proceeds of crime generated from drug trade were invested by the accused (Mahabir Singh) in immovable properties.'' These assets were attached by the ED during the course of investigation and after the latest conviction, they have been confiscated under the provisions of the PMLA, the agency said.