NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the Narcotics Control Bureau has busted a major international narcotics ring, seizing 349 kilograms of high-grade cocaine worth Rs 1,745 crore in Mumbai, marking one of the largest such operations in recent times.
Announcing the seizure on X, Shah said, "We are resolved to ruthlessly crush the narcotics cartel."
"The @narcoticsbureau has cracked down on a major international narcotics ring, seizing 349 kg of high-grade cocaine worth Rs 1,745 crore in Mumbai. This is a trailblazing example of a bottom-to-top approach where the agency traced back a smaller consignment to net a massive network. Congratulations to Team NCB for this monumental success," he said.
The seizure comes days after Salim Dola, a drug trafficker and aide of international terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, was brought to India from Turkiye under “Operation Global-Hunt".
He was apprehended upon his arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi early Friday.
According to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Dola, a 59-year-old Mumbai native, had been evading Indian law enforcement agencies for years. An INTERPOL Red Notice had been issued against him in March 2024. He is wanted in multiple narcotics trafficking cases across the country.
Investigations reveal that Dola operated an extensive transnational drug network spanning the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. His alleged criminal history, stretching over two decades, includes involvement in large-scale trafficking of heroin, charas, mephedrone, mandrax, and methamphetamine, particularly in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Enforcement authorities said Dola played a central role as a bulk supplier to distribution networks within India. He is also wanted by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad and Mumbai Police. Earlier, his son, Tahil Salim Dola, along with other associates, was extradited from the UAE and arrested in 2025.