NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday described the deportation of alleged drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola as a significant milestone in the government’s crackdown on international narcotics networks, underscoring the Centre’s policy of “zero tolerance” toward drug syndicates.
Dola, believed to be a close associate of underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, was apprehended in Turkey and deported to India earlier in the day. He was flown to New Delhi on a special aircraft and subsequently taken into custody by central intelligence agencies.
Officials confirmed that he was later moved to the headquarters of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), where he is currently undergoing interrogation under heightened security.
In a statement shared on the social media platform X, Shah praised the operation as a decisive success. He said, “India’s anti-narcotics agencies, backed by strong international cooperation, are increasingly capable of pursuing drug traffickers beyond national borders.”
The Home Minister also emphasised that the government led by Narendra Modi remains committed to dismantling drug cartels and ensuring that “no place is safe for drug kingpins.”
Officials involved in the operation attributed the swift deportation to close coordination between Indian agencies and their global counterparts.
According to preliminary assessments, Dola is alleged to have managed a narcotics network valued at approximately Rs 5,000 crore, with links to organised crime and cross-border trafficking operations.
Officials added that his arrest and return mark a substantial blow to both underworld syndicates and networks allegedly supported by Pakistan’s intelligence apparatus.
According to officials, Dola will now face extensive questioning regarding his operations in India and abroad, as agencies including the Intelligence Bureau and the Enforcement Directorate are expected to join the probe.
Officials said interrogators will focus on uncovering details about his supply chains, financial transactions, and connections with international traffickers, as well as his reported links to the Dawood syndicate.
Agencies are particularly interested in understanding how narcotics networks intersect with terror financing. Intelligence inputs suggest that proceeds from drug trafficking have historically been used to fund extremist organisations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba. Officials allege that a portion of such earnings has been diverted toward supporting insurgent and terrorist activities, both within India and across the region.
“The deportation of Dola follows a series of related enforcement actions targeting his network. Earlier, his son Taher Dola was extradited to India, while associate Salim Mohamed Sheikh was deported from Dubai and is currently in the custody of Mumbai’s anti-narcotics authorities. These coordinated moves are seen as part of a broader strategy to dismantle the financial and operational backbone of major drug syndicates,” a senior enforcement official said.
Agencies are also examining the Dola network in connection with multiple money laundering cases. Officials added that recent operations have targeted trafficking routes linked to the Dawood network across several regions, including coastal zones and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where large drug consignments have been intercepted.
Intelligence inputs indicate that some consignments were routed through international cartels, including those based in Mexico, with India serving as both a destination and a transit hub for onward movement to Southeast Asia.
Officials added that agencies are closely monitoring trafficking activities originating in Myanmar, which are believed to be fuelling drug inflows into India’s northeastern states.
Officials said Dola’s interrogation could yield critical insights into the structure of these networks, including the location of drug manufacturing facilities and the extent of foreign involvement. Investigators are also expected to examine the alleged role of external intelligence agencies in sustaining and expanding narcotics operations targeting India.