The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a coordinated series of search operations across Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday in connection with its ongoing probe into the notorious “Donkey Route” human trafficking network and its alleged money laundering channels.

Officials confirmed that the searches were conducted at multiple locations in Punjab’s Amritsar, Sangrur, Patiala, and Moga districts, as well as Haryana’s Ambala, Kurukshetra, and Karnal, targeting individuals and entities suspected of laundering proceeds from illegal human smuggling operations.

The “Donkey Route” is a colloquial term used to describe the dangerous, illegal migration path that smugglers use to send Indian migrants to the United States and other countries by routing them through several countries in Latin America on foot, often under inhumane and life-threatening conditions.

What Is the Donkey Route?

The Donkey Route has become infamous for its exploitative human smuggling networks that charge large sums from vulnerable migrants seeking to travel illegally to the U.S. or Europe.

Typically, these migrants are flown to countries in South or Central America, such as Ecuador or Guatemala, where visa restrictions are lighter or non-existent. From there, they embark on an arduous journey overland through jungles, deserts, and dangerous terrain, eventually attempting to cross into the United States illegally.

Human traffickers along this route often subject migrants to extortion, violence, sexual abuse, and even death. Indian authorities have documented dozens of cases of deaths and disappearances along this path in recent years.

ED’s Focus on Money Laundering

The ED’s involvement centres on investigating the financial flows that sustain these smuggling operations.

According to ED officials, hawala channels and shell companies are often used to transfer large sums collected from aspiring migrants to international networks, bypassing formal banking systems and anti-money laundering controls.

Investigators believe the traffickers collect fees ranging from Rs. 15 lakh to over Rs. 30 lakh per migrant, depending on the route and promises of safe passage, which are rarely kept.

These sums are then laundered through a network of front businesses, cash couriers, and underground hawala operators, making it difficult for authorities to trace the origin and final beneficiaries of the money.

Locations Targeted in the Raids

The ED’s searches in Punjab focused on suspected agents, property dealers, and financiers in Amritsar, Sangrur, Patiala, and Moga—districts known for a high rate of emigration and frequent recruitment by human trafficking syndicates.

Sources say the agency seized documents, mobile phones, computers, and transaction records during the searches, which will now be analysed to uncover links between local agents and international smuggling cartels.

In Haryana, raids were conducted in Ambala, Kurukshetra, and Karnal, regions identified as transit hubs for collecting money and coordinating migrant movement across state lines.

The ED is reportedly also working with local police and central intelligence agencies to build a detailed map of the syndicates’ operations.

Background of the Case

The Donkey Route has long been a headache for Indian authorities.

Hundreds of Indians, especially from Punjab and Haryana, risk everything to reach the U.S. or Europe illegally in hopes of better economic opportunities.

Many end up stranded in Central America or detained by immigration authorities in Mexico and the United States, with harrowing stories of abuse by smugglers.

Indian agencies have been cracking down on recruitment agents and travel facilitators who lure families with promises of quick visas and safe passage, only to subject migrants to inhumane conditions while collecting exorbitant fees.

Multi-Agency Efforts to Tackle the Network

The ED’s raids are part of a larger government strategy involving multiple law enforcement agencies to dismantle the Donkey Route ecosystem.

• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has also registered cases against travel agents accused of forging documents and visas.

• State police forces have been arresting local recruiters and charging them under human trafficking laws.

• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been working with foreign governments to track Indian migrants and facilitate their safe return.

The ED’s role is to trace and freeze the money trails, ensuring that proceeds of these crimes cannot be reinvested or used to expand the illegal trade.

Hawala and Organised Crime Links

Officials say the Donkey Route network is not a simple chain of petty criminals but involves highly organised syndicates with deep financial and logistical capabilities.

Funds collected in rural Punjab or Haryana often flow through hawala channels—an informal value transfer system that operates outside the formal banking sector.

This system makes it challenging to track transactions, as it relies on a global network of brokers who settle accounts through trusted relationships and code systems.

By targeting these financial channels, the ED hopes to choke the working capital of traffickers, making it harder for them to fund visas, bribes, fake documents, and logistics required to move migrants.

Previous Crackdowns and Challenges

This is not the first time authorities have launched a crackdown on the Donkey Route.

In the past decade, multiple high-profile arrests and charge sheets have been filed against recruitment agents, visa consultants, and smugglers.

However, enforcement has been uneven, and demand for illegal migration remains high due to economic distress, unemployment, and aspirations for better life abroad.

Smugglers adapt quickly, changing routes, forging new alliances, and using social media to reach vulnerable families.

ED’s Investigation Under PMLA

The ED’s current probe is under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which allows the agency to attach and confiscate properties derived from the proceeds of crime.

Officials indicated they will analyse the seized material to identify key financiers, hawala operators, and overseas contacts, with the goal of building strong cases for prosecution.

Any assets found to be bought with laundered money could be frozen or confiscated under the law.

Political and Social Reactions

The issue has also taken on a political dimension in Punjab and Haryana, with opposition parties accusing the government of failing to create enough jobs or stop the smuggling networks.

Families of missing migrants have staged protests demanding more aggressive action against traffickers and better coordination with foreign governments to trace missing persons.

Meanwhile, local community leaders have called for awareness drives to warn people about the dangers of illegal migration and the Donkey Route, urging families not to fall for the false promises of agents.

Conclusion

The ED’s sweeping raids across Punjab and Haryana mark a significant escalation in the fight against the Donkey Route human trafficking network.

By targeting the money laundering operations that fund and enable these smuggling syndicates, authorities hope to cripple their business model and reduce the exploitation of vulnerable migrants.

However, experts caution that enforcement alone is not enough. Unless economic opportunities improve in source regions and public awareness campaigns succeed in changing perceptions, the demand for illegal migration will continue to fuel these dangerous routes.

The coming weeks will see whether the ED’s findings can lead to prosecutions, asset seizures, and a meaningful blow to the sophisticated networks driving one of India’s most tragic modern migration crises.