The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches at multiple locations in Maharashtra and Gujarat as part of a money laundering investigation linked to Mohammad Salim Dola, an alleged drug trafficker associated with the Dawood Ibrahim gang who was recently extradited from Turkiye, officials said.
The agency carried out raids at around 20 locations in Mumbai, as well as in Surat, Rajkot and Ankleshwar in Gujarat, after registering a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
Dola, also known as Salim Ismail Dola, is alleged to be a close associate of globally wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and has been accused by anti-narcotics agencies of operating a transnational drug trafficking syndicate.
The 59-year-old was detained in Turkiye on the basis of an Interpol Red Notice issued at India's request in March 2024. He was extradited to India in April and was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) shortly after arriving at Delhi airport.
The searches are being carried out at premises linked to suppliers of precursor chemicals, intermediaries engaged in chemical trading, accountants and traffickers involved in the manufacture and distribution of the synthetic narcotic drug Mephedrone (MD), hawala operators, and persons holding benami properties acquired from proceeds generated through the organised drug syndicate, ED officials said.
The money laundering case stems from multiple FIRs registered across Mumbai against Dola and others for offences relating to illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, they said.
The NCB had said Dola allegedly created a drug network over the last 20 years in the Middle East, Africa and Europe and was wanted by multiple Indian agencies including the NCB, Maharashtra Police, Gujarat ATS and the DRI.
His arrest and landing in India was declared by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on his X handle on April 28 as he reiterated Modi government's "firm resolve" to bring all narcotics fugitives and members of organised crime syndicates to justice, by pursuing them relentlessly across the globe as part of the 'Operation Global Hunt' launched by Indian agencies.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had then said that Dola's two-decade-long criminal antecedents include "direct involvement" in cases involving multiple high-value seizures of heroin, charas, mephedrone, mandrax and methamphetamine in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Officials privy to the probe had told PTI that operatives in international drugs networks identified Dola as 'Mephedrone King' due to his alleged wide expertise in trafficking this category of drug.
They claimed Dola assumed aliases in Turkiye such as 'Hamza' and 'Abdul' and that he was planning to purchase some immovable assets in that country in order to obtain citizenship.
Mephedrone, also known as 4-methylmethcathinone, 4-MMC and 4-methylephedrone, is a synthetic stimulant drug and it is also identified by its slang names like drone, M-CAT, white magic, 'meow meow' and bubble.
Dola's son Tahil Salim Dola and other associates were arrested by Mumbai police after deportation/extradition from the UAE in 2025.
(With inputs from PTI)
