Mumbai PMLA Court Rejects Ali Azghar Shirazi’s Discharge Plea In ₹44.5 Crore Drug Money Laundering Case

Mumbai: A special PMLA court has refused to discharge Ali Azghar Shirazi in a money laundering case linked to an alleged international drug trafficking racket.

Shirazi was arrested in May 2023 by the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) for allegedly smuggling narcotic substances and banned psychotropic medicines to Australia, the UK and the US through courier services.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) later registered a money-laundering case against him. According to the ED, Shirazi laundered nearly ₹44.5 crore and had been illegally procuring and trafficking psychotropic medicines since 2017. The agency also alleged that he continued operating the racket through his wife and accountant even after his arrest.

Shirazi sought discharge claiming that he had already been discharged in the predicate NDPS case. However, the court noted that both the State and the ED have challenged the discharge order before the Bombay High Court and the matter is still pending.

Observing that sufficient prima facie evidence exists against Shirazi, the court rejected his plea, calling money laundering a “serious economic offence” affecting society and the nation’s financial integrity.

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