ED Cracks Down On ₹89-Crore Drug Proceeds Trail, Arrests Gaurav Dawar in Heroin-Hawala Money Laundering Case
(Judicial Quest News Network)
NEW DELHI:22, Sep,2026- The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has arrested Gaurav Dawar, son of Ashok Dawar, under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with a major narcotics-smuggling and money-laundering investigation involving heroin allegedly concealed in semi-processed talc.
Dawar was arrested on 17 September 2026 and produced before the Special Judge (PMLA), Tis Hazari Courts, West District, New Delhi, on 18 September, where the court remanded him to five days’ ED custody.
The ED investigation stems from an NIA FIR registered under the UAPA, NDPS Act and IPC against Harpreet Singh Talwar and others over alleged links with an international drug-smuggling syndicate operating through Afghanistan, Pakistan and Dubai.
According to the ED, the investigation has traced Proceeds of Crime (PoC) of approximately ₹89 crore, including ₹74 crore in narcotics proceeds earlier identified by the NIA as having been transferred through hawala channels to Afghanistan and allegedly used for terrorist financing.
Dubai Nexus, Hawala Trail Under Scanner
The ED alleges that Dawar and co-accused Harpreet Singh Talwar facilitated narcotics consignments for the international syndicate and received remuneration through cash, hawala transactions and contraband consignments.
The agency has further alleged that Dawar received cash in UAE dirhams from Vitaysh Koser alias “Raju Dubai,” described in the investigation as a wanted accused and alleged mastermind of the syndicate.
Investigators have also alleged that proceeds generated through narcotics trafficking and contraband smuggling were subsequently layered and integrated into hospitality businesses, nightclubs and luxury assets.
The ED has specifically linked Dawar to alleged cash investments in Delhi-based nightclubs Playboy Club and White Club, operated through M/s Newera Feast and Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. (NFHPL) along with co-accused persons.
The agency has conducted multiple rounds of PMLA searches, with the latest searches carried out between 15 and 17 July 2026.
The arrest forms part of the government’s stated “Whole of the Government” approach to dismantling the alleged nexus between international narcotics trafficking, hawala transactions and money laundering.
Further investigation is underway, including efforts to identify additional Proceeds of Crime and trace the wider financial and criminal network.
