Gujarat ATS arrests international drug trafficker Salim Dola
The arrest is connected to a 2022 seizure of mephedrone worth ₹438.64 crore from a factory in Vadodara.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested international drug trafficker Salim Ismail Dola on October 31, according to a report by Hindustan Times. Dola, who was deported from Turkiye earlier this year, is linked to the seizure of mephedrone valued at ₹438.64 crore from a Vadodara factory in 2022.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) SL Chaudhary said Dola allegedly supplied chemicals for manufacturing the drug and later bought and sold the finished product. The investigation into the Sindhrot village manufacturing unit raid on December 1, 2022, led to Dola's name emerging as a person involved in the case.
The ATS stated that Dola's syndicate allegedly used containers of legally exported goods to conceal narcotics and set up dummy companies in destination countries. Dola, described as a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim, was brought back from Turkiye in April following an Interpol Red Notice issued in March 2024.
Dola has a history of drug-related cases, including an arrest in 1998 with 40 kg of mandrax and another in 2013 with 79 kg of charas. He was also linked to a fentanyl case in 2018 involving drugs worth nearly ₹1,000 crore.
The ATS is currently questioning Dola to establish chemical sources, financial transactions, and distribution channels. Police will also investigate his assets and whether he operated other drug networks in Gujarat or elsewhere while staying overseas.