Chennai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out raids in multiple cities in Tamil Nadu as part of a drugs trafficking-linked money laundering investigation against former DMK functionary Jaffer Sadiq and others, officials said.

As many as 25 premises in the state capital Chennai, Madurai and Tiruchirappalli are being searched by Enforcement Directorate officials, accompanied by an escort of central paramilitary forces, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.

The premises of Sadiq, who is also a producer of Tamil films, film director Ameer and some others are being covered, they said.

Sadiq, 36, was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) last month for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of about 3,500 kg of pseudoephedrine with a street value of more than ₹ 2,000 crore.

The Enforcement Directorate took cognisance of this NCB case and some other FIRs to file the money laundering case against Sadiq and others.

The NCB has said that Sadiq's links with Tamil and Hindi film financers, some "high-profile" people and some instances of "political funding" were under its scanner.

Sadiq was expelled by the ruling DMK in February after his name and purported links to the drugs network were mentioned by the NCB.