Gujarat ATS nabs Salim Dola in ₹438-crore MD drug case after Interpol notice
Synopsis
Gujarat ATS has finally secured custody of Salim Ismail Dola — an alleged international drug trafficker with a criminal trail stretching from a 1998 Mandrax haul at Mumbai airport to a ₹1,000-crore fentanyl case in 2018 and a recent ED money-laundering probe. His arrest follows an Interpol Red Corner Notice and connects a ₹438-crore mephedrone factory in Vadodara to a cross-border trafficking network allegedly operating out of Dubai.
Key Takeaways
Gujarat ATS took custody of alleged drug trafficker Salim Ismail Dola on 31 October 2026 following an Interpol Red Corner Notice .
Dola is wanted in the Sindhrot drug factory case involving 87.728 kg of mephedrone worth ₹438.64 crore , seized on 1 December 2022 in Vadodara district .
Intelligence indicated Dola was residing in Dubai, UAE , using an Indian passport and mobile numbers registered in the UAE and Kenya .
Dola was previously linked to late narcotics trafficker Iqbal Mirchi and arrested at Mumbai airport in 1998 with 40 kg of Mandrax .
Cases against him span three decades across Mumbai, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, including a ₹1,000-crore fentanyl case registered in 2018 and a MCOCA invocation in 2025 .
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a parallel money-laundering probe into his financial network during 2025–26 .
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has taken custody of alleged international drug trafficker Salim Ismail Dola, wanted in connection with the seizure of 87.728 kg of mephedrone (MD) — valued at ₹438.64 crore in the international market — from an illegal drug manufacturing unit in Sindhrot village, Vadodara district, in December 2022. Dola was brought into custody on 31 October 2026 following the issuance of an Interpol Red Corner Notice against him.
The Sindhrot Drug Factory Case
The case traces back to 1 December 2022, when Gujarat ATS raided the illegal mephedrone manufacturing unit in Sindhrot village and seized 87.728 kg of the synthetic stimulant. Ten people were arrested during the operation, and an FIR was registered at the ATS police station under Sections 8(C), 22(C) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Subsequent investigation linked Dola to the case through one of the arrested accused, Soumil Pathak, who had allegedly come into contact with Dola while in jail. Investigators established that Pathak was allegedly involved with Dola in the illegal manufacture and sale of narcotic substances, including mephedrone.
The probe further revealed that mephedrone produced at the Sindhrot unit was allegedly supplied to Aiman Musa Sheikh, alias Ayan Khan, a Mumbai-based associate of Dola, before being funnelled into the wider trafficking network.
Dola's International Network and Dubai Connection
According to the ATS, Dola had been operating a drug trafficking network from abroad at the time of his apprehension. Intelligence inputs indicated he was residing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, using an Indian passport and mobile numbers registered in the UAE and Kenya. The ATS initiated proceedings through Interpol to secure a Red Corner Notice and trace him.
Investigators also found that Dola's network allegedly concealed narcotic substances in containers carrying legally exported goods and used dummy companies in destination countries to receive the consignments — a sophisticated laundering-of-logistics strategy that made detection difficult.
Notably, records indicate that Dola had previously been associated with Iqbal Mirchi, the late narcotics trafficker. According to intelligence inputs, during the 1990s, when Mirchi was allegedly involved in the international illegal trade of Mandrax, Dola reportedly worked for him by transporting drugs.
A Criminal Record Spanning Three Decades
Available records from multiple investigating agencies show that Dola has been linked to a string of drug trafficking and criminal cases going back to the late 1990s. He was first arrested at Mumbai International Airport in 1998 with approximately 40 kg of Mandrax, and again in 2013 by the Mumbai Police Anti-Narcotics Cell with around 79 kg of charas.
His name surfaced in a 2017 Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) case involving the alleged smuggling of gutkha worth approximately ₹5.5 crore from Gujarat to Kuwait. In 2018, the Mumbai Anti-Narcotics Cell registered a fentanyl-related case against him — CR No. 69/2018, dated 27 December 2018 — involving an estimated ₹1,000 crore.
Subsequent cases include an NDPS matter at Ghatkopar police station in 2022; a 2023 Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Mumbai case involving approximately 20 kg of mephedrone; and another 2023 case registered by the Mumbai Crime Branch's DCB, CID Unit-06. Further cases were registered against him in Maharashtra in 2024 and 2025 at Kasigaon, Antop Hill, RCF and Tulinj police stations, as well as by the Mumbai Crime Branch and the DRI's Bhopal unit. A 2025 Mumbai Crime Branch case also invoked provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
ED Probe and What the ATS Is Investigating Now
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a parallel investigation during 2025–26 into financial transactions, properties, and alleged money laundering linked to Dola's suspected drug trafficking network, signalling that scrutiny has widened well beyond narcotics enforcement.
The Gujarat ATS is currently questioning Dola on the source of raw materials used in the Sindhrot factory, financial transactions, other individuals involved in the manufacturing and distribution chain, and the network's interstate and international connections. The outcome of this interrogation could unravel what investigators describe as a multi-jurisdictional narcotics and money laundering operation spanning India, the UAE, and Kenya.
Point of View
An ED money-laundering probe, and MCOCA charges already in motion, investigators now have custody of someone who allegedly connects the Vadodara mephedrone factory to a Dubai-anchored international trafficking network — a rare opportunity to trace the financial architecture, not just the narcotics. The Iqbal Mirchi association is the detail that deserves scrutiny: it suggests Dola's network did not emerge in a vacuum but evolved from an older, deeply entrenched smuggling infrastructure. Whether the interrogation yields actionable intelligence on supply chains and money flows — or stalls in procedural processes — will determine whether this arrest translates into structural disruption of the network or remains another high-profile custody without systemic impact.
NationPress
3 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Salim Ismail Dola and why was he arrested?
Salim Ismail Dola is an alleged international drug trafficker taken into custody by the Gujarat ATS on 31 October 2026, wanted in connection with a ₹438.64-crore mephedrone seizure from an illegal drug manufacturing unit in Sindhrot village, Vadodara district, in December 2022. He was traced through an Interpol Red Corner Notice after intelligence indicated he was operating from Dubai, UAE.
What was seized in the Sindhrot drug factory raid?
On 1 December 2022, Gujarat ATS raided the illegal unit in Sindhrot village and seized 87.728 kg of mephedrone (MD), estimated at ₹438.64 crore in the international market. Ten people were arrested, and an FIR was filed under Sections 8(C), 22(C) and 29 of the NDPS Act.
How was Dola linked to the Sindhrot mephedrone case?
Investigators established the link through arrested accused Soumil Pathak, who had allegedly come into contact with Dola while in jail and was reportedly involved with him in the illegal manufacture and sale of narcotics. The probe also revealed that mephedrone from the Sindhrot unit was allegedly supplied to Dola's Mumbai-based associate, Aiman Musa Sheikh alias Ayan Khan.
What is Dola's prior criminal history?
Dola's criminal record spans nearly three decades: he was arrested at Mumbai airport in 1998 with approximately 40 kg of Mandrax, and again in 2013 with around 79 kg of charas. Subsequent cases include a ₹1,000-crore fentanyl case in 2018, an NCB mephedrone case in 2023, and multiple Maharashtra cases in 2024 and 2025, one of which invoked MCOCA.
What is the Enforcement Directorate investigating in this case?
The Enforcement Directorate launched a parallel investigation during 2025–26 into financial transactions, properties, and alleged money laundering linked to Dola's suspected drug trafficking network. This probe runs alongside the Gujarat ATS narcotics investigation and is focused on tracing the financial flows of the operation.
