Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad Arrests International Drug Trafficker Salim Ismail Dola in Major Mephedrone Seizure Case

Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad officers arrested international drug trafficker Salim Ismail Dola in connection with a massive mephedrone seizure valued at 438.64 crore rupees from a factory in Vadodara. The raid took place on December 1, 2022, near Sindhrot village, where police seized 87.728 kilograms of the drug, locally known as MD. Assistant Commissioner of Police SL Chaudhary stated that Dola was taken into custody on October 31 after being deported from Turkiye earlier this year. Investigators state that Dola supplied the raw chemicals needed to manufacture the drugs and later bought and sold the finished products.

Network

The syndicate operated by Dola hid narcotics inside containers filled with legal export goods to ship them abroad. His network also set up fake companies in destination countries to keep the operations running smoothly. Officials describe him as a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim who previously worked with international drug trafficker Iqbal Mirchi during the 1990s. The Narcotics Control Bureau brought Dola back from Turkiye following an Interpol Red Notice issued at India's request in March 2024. Dola faces around a dozen narcotics-related cases across India, including a 1998 mandrax arrest at Mumbai International Airport, a 2013 charas seizure, and a 2018 fentanyl case involving drugs worth nearly 1,000 crore rupees.

Context

Anti-drug agencies and police forces track international narcotics syndicates to cut off the financial networks and supply chains that fund organized crime. Cross-border operations rely heavily on international cooperation, Interpol notices, and extradition treaties to bring fugitive suspects back to face trial. Law enforcement agencies also investigate money laundering angles through bodies like the Enforcement Directorate to seize illegal assets acquired by traffickers.