In a high-profile victory for India’s “zero-tolerance” policy against narcotics, Mohammad Salim Dola, a notorious drug lord and key associate of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, was deported from Türkiye to India on April 28, 2026. Landing at the Delhi Technical Airport under heavy security, the 59-year-old was immediately taken into custody by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and intelligence agencies for intensive interrogation. Dola, who had been operating a transnational synthetic drug empire estimated at over ₹5,000 crore, was apprehended in Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü district last Saturday following a coordinated strike by Turkish intelligence and local police. His capture was facilitated by an Interpol Red Notice issued at the request of the CBI, ending his decade-long run as a fugitive hiding under false identities.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the operation as a “major breakthrough” in the mission to ruthlessly dismantle international drug cartels, noting that no place is safe for kingpins regardless of where they hide. Dola is allegedly the mastermind behind a massive mephedrone (MD) production and distribution network spanning Maharashtra, Gujarat, and several international hubs. His criminal history dates back to 1998, when he was first arrested at Mumbai airport with 40 kg of mandrax; however, he jumped bail in 2018 and fled the country. Following the recent extraditions of his son, Taher, and nephew from the UAE, Dola’s return is viewed as a decisive strike against the D-Company’s financial backbone. He is expected to be handed over to the Mumbai Police to face numerous pending charges under the NDPS Act, potentially leading to a minimum decade-long prison sentence.