Notorious drugs smuggler wanted in Rs 252 crore seizure arrested in Mumbai

He is the third mastermind to be deported from Mumbai in the case leading to his formal arrest at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.

Mumbai: In a major breakthrough, notorious drugs smuggler Mohammed Salim Mohammed Sohail Shaikh, who was wanted in a Rs 252 crore seizure and faced the Red Corner Notice of INTERPOL, was formally arrested in Mumbai on Thursday after his deportation from Dubai.

Shaikh is the third mastermind to be deported from Mumbai in the case leading to his formal arrest at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.

Earlier, two of his associates Taher Salim Dola and Mustafa Mohammed Kubbawala were reported and are under custody of the Mumbai police.

The trio were key players in supplies of mephedrone (MD), a synthetic stimulant drug belonging to the amphetamine and cathinone classes.

The trio were holed up in the United Arab Emirates and with the help of “sister agencies” their arrest and deportation was possible.

With the crackdown on the syndicate, the Mumbai police dismantled a major drug network with multiple arrests and factory raids.

Their involvement includes plans to establish drug manufacturing facilities nationwide, furthering the distribution of mephedrone.

The police had launched a crackdown after a drug manufacturing hub in Sangli in Maharashtra leading to the arrest of 15 persons who were part of the illicit operation.

The Mumbai Police coordinated with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the National Central Bureau (NCB) of Abu Dhabi and Lyon-headquartered INTERPOL.

As of now, the Crime Branch-CID of the Mumbai police is investigating the case.

According to initial information, Sheikh was involved in overseeing the supply chain for a large mephedrone production unit in Sangli, where raw materials imported through a UAE-based chemical supplier were processed into the synthetic drug.

The investigation into the racket began in February 2024, following the arrest of Parveen Sheikh from Kurla in Mumbai, who was caught with 641 grams of mephedrone.

During interrogation, Parveen reportedly revealed that she had been working under the directions of Dubai-based handlers, Salim Dola and Mohammed Salim Sheikh.

The entire racket is controlled by kingpin Salim Dola, who is believed to be overseas. Tahir Dola is his son.

Salim Dola was a close associate of late Iqbal Mirchi, of the key persons in the syndicate controlled by Dawood Ibrahim.