ED raids in Maharashtra, Gujarat in Salim Dola drugs case

Mohammad Salim Dola (second right) a close aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim and a notorious drug trafficker. File | They said about 20 locations in Mumbai, Surat and Ankleshwar (Bharuch district) in Gujarat were raided after a case was registered by the central agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).Dola, alias Salim Ismail Dola, is alleged to be a close associate of global wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and has been charged by anti-narcotics agencies with running a transnational drugs trafficking syndicate.The 59-year-old Dola was brought back by India from Türkiye in April and was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) soon after he landed at the Delhi airport.The searches are being carried out at premises linked to suppliers of precursor chemicals, intermediaries engaged in chemical trading, traffickers involved in the manufacture and distribution of the synthetic narcotic drug Mephedrone (MD), hawala operators, and persons holding benami properties acquired from proceeds generated through the organised drug syndicate, ED officials said.The money laundering case stems from multiple FIRs registered across Mumbai against Dola and others for offences relating to illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, they said. Published - June 02, 2026 01:49 pm IST