India on Tuesday secured the deportation of alleged drug kingpin Mohammad Salim Dola from Turkey, in a coordinated international operation, with authorities taking him into custody upon arrival in Delhi, officials said.

Dola, a close associate of fugitive underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, was brought back on a special aircraft after being detained in Istanbul. He landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport and was immediately taken for questioning by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Officials said he will later be handed over to Mumbai Police.

Announcing the development, Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the operation as part of the government’s “zero tolerance” policy against drug networks, adding that Indian agencies are working closely with global partners to dismantle cross-border cartels.

Dola’s deportation followed an Interpol Red Notice issued against him. He was apprehended in a joint operation involving Turkish intelligence and local law enforcement agencies, officials said.

Who is Salim Dola?

Originally from Mumbai, Dola entered the criminal underworld at a young age and worked closely with Chhota Shakeel, a key aide of Dawood Ibrahim. He initially operated in illegal gutkha distribution before expanding into narcotics trafficking, including marijuana and synthetic drugs.

He was first arrested by the NCB in 2012 and served around five years in prison. Investigators said that after his release, he resumed operations and set up illicit synthetic drug manufacturing units. Although arrested again in 2018, he was granted bail within months.

According to officials, Dola later fled India and allegedly obtained a passport under a false identity in the United Arab Emirates before shifting base to Turkey. From abroad, he is believed to have run a large drug network, including mephedrone production through clandestine labs across multiple Indian states.

Authorities estimate the cartel linked to Dola to be worth around Rs 5,000 crore.

His return is expected to aid ongoing investigations into international narcotics trafficking and organised crime networks.