NCB Arrests Dawood Aide Salim Dola in 2023 Drug Trafficking Case

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested Salim Dola, a key operative of Dawood Ibrahim’s alleged drug trafficking network, in connection with a high-profile 2023 narcotics case, officials said on Wednesday.

Dola was deported to Delhi from Turkey and later brought to Mumbai, where he was formally taken into custody by the NCB’s Mumbai Zonal Unit. He is expected to be produced before a court, where the agency will seek his remand for further interrogation. Officials said the questioning is likely to focus on uncovering deeper links within Dawood’s drug syndicate and identifying interstate and international connections.

Sources added that following the NCB’s interrogation, the Mumbai Crime Branch is also preparing to take custody of Dola as part of its parallel probe.

The development comes months after the NCB arrested alleged drug trafficker Faisal Javed Sheikh from a Chennai prison on May 20, 2025. During questioning, Sheikh reportedly revealed that he procured narcotics from Dola, leading investigators to name the latter as a key supplier in the network. A non-bailable warrant was subsequently issued against Dola.

Sheikh, a resident of Dongri in Mumbai, faces multiple charges related to narcotics trafficking and criminal conspiracy. Investigators claim he has links with organised crime syndicates, including the D-Company network. His alleged involvement in large-scale drug operations has been established during the probe.

According to officials, three cases have been registered against Sheikh under the NDPS Act, involving the seizure of 68 grams of mephedrone in 2017, 20 kilograms of mephedrone in 2023, and 940 grams of cocaine in 2024. In 2025, the Mumbai Police also invoked provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against him.

With Dola’s arrest, the NCB believes that the investigation could lead to significant breakthroughs, potentially exposing a wider drug trafficking network operating across states and international borders.