The Enforcement Directorate carried out extensive search operations at 20 locations in Mumbai, Surat, Ankleshwar, and Rajkot in Gujarat. This action is part of a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged international narcotics syndicate run by Salim Ismail Dola and his associates. The searches targeted places associated with suppliers of precursor chemicals, traders of industrial chemicals, suspected drug traffickers involved in the production of synthetic narcotic substance Mephedrone, hawala operators, and individuals holding benami properties.
Salim Dola, extradited to India from Turkiye in May, is believed to have close ties with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Investigators suspect Dola of operating a large transnational network engaged in drug production, trafficking, and money laundering. The Enforcement Directorate’s probe is based on multiple FIRs filed in Mumbai against Dola and others related to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The investigation has revealed a sophisticated criminal syndicate involved in procuring precursor chemicals, manufacturing Mephedrone, transporting narcotics, and smuggling them abroad through illegal means.
The ongoing searches are focused on tracing the complete financial and operational chain of the syndicate. The Enforcement Directorate is looking into the roles of chemical manufacturing units, middlemen, financial handlers, accountants, chartered accountants, and hawala operators suspected of aiding in the laundering of drug money. This operation is part of the intensified efforts against drug networks associated with Dawood Ibrahim in recent years.
