Tem Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) Panaji Zonal Office has filed a prosecution complaint against seven individuals, including citizens of Zimbabwe and Tanzania, in connection with an international drug trafficking and money laundering racket.
The case, filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, names Vedasto Audax (Tanzania), Masoom Uikey, Chirag Dudhat, Tariro Brightmore Mangwana (Zimbabwe), Reshma Wadekar, Mangesh Wadekar, and Nibu Vincent as accused.
According to the ED, the prosecution complaint is part of a wider probe into a cross-border narcotics syndicate allegedly operated by Vincent and his associates. The investigation has unearthed financial trails and illicit proceeds linked to the smuggling of cocaine into India.
Earlier, the agency had attached assets and recorded statements of several accused after cocaine consignments traced to Laos were seized. In August, the ED arrested Zimbabwean national Tariro Mangwana and conducted coordinated searches across eight states, including Goa. Officials allege that Mangwana was actively involved in the supply of narcotics along South Goa’s coastal stretch, prompting an extensive money laundering probe.
The investigation stems from an operation by the Goa Police Crime Branch on April 14, which busted a major drug trafficking network in South Goa. Three persons — Vincent alias Winson, Reshma Wadekar, and her husband Mangesh — were arrested after authorities seized 4.32 kilograms of premium-grade cocaine concealed in chocolate and coffee packets. The narcotics were valued at around ₹43.2 crore.
Police sources indicated that Reshma was instrumental in procuring the consignment, while Vincent and Mangesh allegedly managed logistics and distribution. Both Reshma and Mangesh are known offenders — she was previously implicated in a prostitution case, and he faces a rape charge.
The ED’s latest complaint marks a significant step in dismantling what investigators describe as a “well-organised transnational drug cartel” with links spanning multiple countries.
