Ahmedabad: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Mumbai Zonal Office, conducted searches at 21 locations across Mumbai, Surat, Ankleshwar, and Rajkot on June 2 and 3 as part of a major crackdown on a transnational organised narcotics trafficking syndicate allegedly operated by Salim Ismail Dola and his associates.

The searches were carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, targeting key elements of the syndicate’s narcotics supply chain and money laundering network.

During the searches, the ED seized and froze assets worth approximately Rs 1.33 crore, including cash, foreign currency, gold bars, and bank balances. Foreign currency amounting to USD 2,200 was also recovered.

According to the ED, the operation covered the entire organised narcotics ecosystem linked to Salim Dola, including precursor chemical suppliers, chemical traders, manufacturers and distributors of the synthetic drug mephedrone (MD), hawala operators, and individuals holding benami properties allegedly acquired using proceeds generated from drug trafficking.

The agency said the coordinated action was aimed at dismantling critical links in the illicit supply chain and disrupting the syndicate’s financial infrastructure and operational capabilities.

Investigators also recovered documents related to immovable properties worth several crores of rupees in India and Dubai, indicating substantial investments allegedly made using proceeds of crime generated by the organised drug syndicate.

The money laundering investigation stems from multiple FIRs registered by various law enforcement agencies in Mumbai against Salim Dola and others for offences related to the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

The ED’s investigation has so far revealed the existence of a highly organised transnational criminal network involved in the procurement of precursor chemicals, the clandestine manufacture of mephedrone, interstate transportation and distribution of narcotic drugs, international trafficking of narcotic substances, layering of proceeds of crime through hawala channels, and the acquisition of movable and immovable assets in the names of associates and other individuals.

Further investigation in the case is underway. DeshGujarat