New Delhi: Fifty-nine-year-old Mohammed Salim Dola, a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was brought to India from Turkiye and taken into custody upon his arrival at the IGI Airport in Delhi early Tuesday morning by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The NCB, in close coordination with international and Indian intelligence agencies, secured the return of the drug trafficker from Turkiye under 'Operation Global-Hunt'.
Dola was first traced by intelligence agencies in Turkey in 2024, following which INTERPOL issued a Red Corner Notice against him, according to officials. "The drug kingpin from Mumbai, the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice issued at India's request in March 2024, is wanted for prosecution in multiple narcotics trafficking cases in India and had been absconding from Indian law enforcement agencies," the Union home ministry said on Tuesday.
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"Over the years, Dola had established a major transnational drug trafficking syndicate spanning several countries across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. His two-decade-long criminal record includes direct involvement in cases related to multiple high-value seizures of heroin, charas, mephedrone, mandrax, and methamphetamine in Maharashtra and Gujarat," the MHA added.
Dola's role consistently emerged as that of a bulk supplier to downstream distribution networks in India. He is also wanted by the Gujarat ATS and the Mumbai Police.
Earlier, his son, Tahil Salim Dola, along with other associates, was arrested by the Mumbai Police after deportation/extradition from the UAE in 2025. The effort exemplifies close cooperation and coordinated action among authorities in Turkiye, INTERPOL, and Indian agencies, officials added.
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In a post on X, Union home minister Amit Shah said, "Zero tolerance against narco syndicates. The NCB today made a major breakthrough in securing the return of notorious drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola from Turkiye. Under Modi government's mission to ruthlessly smash drug cartels, our anti-narcotics agencies have extended their claws across borders through a robust network of global agencies. Now, no matter where they hide, no place is safe for drug kingpins"
