Gujarat ATS takes drug trafficker Salim Dola into custody
The arrest is in connection with a 2022 mephedrone seizure in Vadodara valued at ₹438.64 crore.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) took international drug trafficker Salim Ismail Dola into custody on October 31, according to reports by Hindustan Times, The Hindu and ThePrint. Dola was being held in a Mumbai jail when the ATS took him into custody.
The arrest relates to a December 1, 2022, raid on an illegal factory near Sindhrot village in Vadodara district. During that raid, the ATS seized 87.728 kg of mephedrone (MD) worth approximately ₹438.64 crore on the international market.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) SL Chaudhary said Dola allegedly supplied chemicals for manufacturing the drug and bought and sold the finished product. The ATS stated that the mephedrone from the Vadodara factory was transported to Mumbai and delivered to Dola's associates.
Dola was arrested in Istanbul on April 25, 2026, following an Interpol Red Notice issued in March 2024. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) brought him back to India on April 28 under ‘Operation Global-Hunt’.
The ATS said Dola's syndicate allegedly used dummy companies and concealed narcotics in containers carrying legally exported goods to ship them abroad. Dola, who had previously worked for Iqbal Mirchi in the 1990s, has been linked to several drug-related cases across India.
The ATS will now question Dola to identify the source of raw materials, trace money flows, and establish the network's international links. The Enforcement Directorate is also investigating his finances and alleged money laundering.