₹438 crore mephedrone seizure case: Gujarat ATS arrests international drug trafficker Salim Dola

A visual of the international drug trafficker and wanted accused, Salim Ismail Dola, arrested by the Gujarat ATS after a crackdown on an illegal MD manufacturing factory, in Ahmedabad on Tuesday (November 3, 2026).

“The Gujarat ATS has arrested international drug trafficker Salim Ismail Dola, deported from Turkiye earlier this year, in connection with the seizure of mephedrone valued at ₹438.64 crore from a Vadodara factory in 2022,” officials said on Tuesday (November 3, 2026).

“Dola allegedly supplied the chemicals used in manufacturing the drug and later bought and sold the finished product,” they said.

“The syndicate operated by Dola allegedly concealed narcotics in containers carrying legally exported goods and shipped them abroad, with dummy companies set up in destination countries to facilitate the operations,” the officials said.

In April this year, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) brought Dola back from Turkiye, where he was arrested on the basis of an Interpol Red Notice issued at India’s request in March 2024.

Described as a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim, Dola is facing drug trafficking charges in India and is accused of operating a transnational narcotics network. The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad took Dola into custody on October 31, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ATS, SL Chaudhary said.

The ATS had raided a drug manufacturing unit near Sindhrot village in Vadodara district on December 1, 2022, and seized 87.728 kg of mephedrone (MD), valued at ₹438.64 crore in the international market. A total of 10 accused have been arrested in the case, registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

"During the investigation, the name of Salim Ismail Dola emerged as one of the persons involved in the case. He was wanted, and a search was launched for him after it came to light that he was operating a drug network from abroad," Mr. Chaudhary said.

"He provided the chemicals used in the manufacturing process and, after the drug was produced, he also bought and sold the finished product. This was his main role in the Sindhrot case," the ACP said.

The ATS is now questioning him to establish the source of the chemicals, financial transactions, distribution channels and the involvement of other members of the network. According to the ATS, Dola had fled from Mumbai to Dubai and subsequently moved to Kenya, travelling across different countries.

Following efforts by Indian agencies and the issuance of a Red Corner Notice, he was traced to Turkiye and deported to India.

“The investigation had earlier indicated that mephedrone manufactured at the Vadodara factory was transported to Mumbai and delivered to Dola's associates,” the ATS said. Dola had earlier been associated with international drug trafficker Iqbal Mirchi, it said.

“According to information gathered during the investigation, Dola was involved in drug trafficking for Mirchi during the 1990s and later developed an international network with his associates,” the ATS said.

“The network allegedly used containers carrying legally exported goods to conceal narcotics and transport them to foreign countries. Dummy companies were also established in destination countries to facilitate the operations,” it stated.

Dola has a history of involvement in several drug-related cases across India. The ATS said around a dozen narcotics-related cases had been registered against him, while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also initiated a probe into his alleged drug network, financial transactions, properties and money laundering.

His alleged involvement in drug cases dates back to 1998, when he was arrested at Mumbai International Airport with around 40 kg of mandrax.

He was also arrested in 2013 with around 79 kg of charas. In 2018, he was linked to a fentanyl case involving drugs of nearly ₹1,000 crore, according to the ATS.

Dola had also figured in several other cases registered by agencies, including the NCB, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Mumbai Police.

"He was earlier arrested in a fentanyl case as well. We do not have details at present about whom he was supplying the drugs to. Further information will emerge during interrogation," the ATS official said.

The ATS will also investigate who sheltered Dola while he was abroad, the routes and channels he used to travel, who provided him logistical support and whether he operated any other drug network in Gujarat or elsewhere in India while staying overseas. “Police will also probe the assets allegedly acquired by him through illegal activities,” Mr. Chaudhary added.