A few months ago, the NCB submitted a three-year roadmap to the Union Home Ministry for Operation Global-Hunt — a mission launched to dismantle 100 drug networks run by India’s fugitives abroad, including in Dubai, Canada and Europe.
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On Tuesday, the NCB secured the return of Mohammad Salim Dola, 59, an alleged international drug trafficker and a close associate of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, from Turkey — the first target under Operation Global-Hunt.
Dola, who was detained in Turkey on Saturday, landed at the Delhi airport on Tuesday morning and was taken into custody by the NCB.
In a post on X, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said: “Zero tolerance against narco syndicate. The NCB today made a major breakthrough in securing the return of notorious drug trafficker Mohammad Salim Dola from Turkey. 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.” An official said Operation Global-Hunt targets a most-wanted list of traffickers linked to fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and synthetic drugs flooding Indian streets. “These kingpins have evaded justice for too long, fueling addiction and violence across our cities. Under Operation Global-Hunt, Indian central agencies, through coordination, will hunt them down via Interpol red notices, while freezing their assets here,” the official said.
According to sources, topping the list are fugitives like Jaswinder Singh alias Jazz, a Punjab-origin cartel leader accused of smuggling 500 kg heroin via sea routes; Sunny Kalra, the alleged mastermind of MDMA shipments from the Netherlands; and Pawan Thakur, a Dubai-based trafficker who reportedly laundered Rs 500 crore through crypto channels.
The NCB prepared its roadmap following directions from the MHA. In a communication sent to the NCB and all states, the MHA said: “We draw your attention to the alarming rise in substance abuse, extensively deliberated at the Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) meeting held under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister… The meeting emphasised that all ministries and departments must prepare a comprehensive roadmap up to 2029, backed by a strong, time-bound monitoring and review mechanism. It was decided that all stakeholder departments will jointly launch a three-year nationwide campaign against drug abuse.”
“Under this campaign, the operational framework for each pillar of the anti-drug strategy will be clearly defined, specific and measurable targets will be set, and regular reviews will be conducted to ensure accountability,” it said.
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Meanwhile, the NCB on Tuesday identified Dola as a bulk supplier to drug distribution networks in India, saying that he was wanted by the Mumbai Police and Gujarat ATS. His two-decade-long criminal antecedents include direct involvement in multiple high-value seizures of heroin, charas and mephedrone in Maharashtra and Gujarat, it said.
Dola fled India nearly a decade ago, and established a major transnational drug trafficking syndicate spanning a number of countries in West Asia, Africa and Europe, it said. An Interpol Red Corner Notice was issued against him, on India’s request, in March 2024. His role came into focus in 2024 after a Mumbai Police Crime Branch probe into a 4-kg MD (mephedrone) seizure traced the supply chain from Sangli and Surat to the UAE and Turkey, it said.
Dola was first arrested in 1998, with 40 kg of mandrax at the Mumbai airport. Investigators believe he handled narcotics operations for the D-Company after Salim Mirchi. Subsequently, his name cropped up in other major seizures, including a Rs 1,000 crore fentanyl haul and a DRI gutka smuggling case.
