Mohammad Salim Dola, a 59-year-old drug trafficking mastermind, used the name 'Hamza' to hide his identity while living in Turkey, a report said. He was deported to India on April 28 and is in the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till May 8.
Dola, who was detained by the Turkish Intelligence Agency and the Beylikduzu police, was arrested based on an Interpol Red Notice issued by India in March 2024.
His criminal past shows his association with the underworld and Dawood Ibrahim. Dola was first arrested by the NCB in 2012 for possessing 80 kilograms of marijuana and again in 2018 for 100 kilograms of fentanyl.
After testing negative for fentanyl, Dola was granted bail and fled to the UAE and then Turkey with a fake passport.
He had established a major transnational drug trafficking syndicate spanning multiple countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, according to the ministry of home affairs.
Dola's name emerged as an international drug trafficker associated with Dawood Ibrahim, and he has been identified as the key supplier of a commercial quantity of mephedrone drug seized from south Mumbai in June 2023.
