Dawood Aide Salim Dola Sent To Anti-Drugs Agency Custody Till May 8 Over Drug Case

A Mumbai court on Thursday remanded alleged international drug trafficker Salim Ismail Dola to the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till May 8 in connection with a 2023 drug trafficking case, following his recent arrest after nearly two years on the run.

The NCB had sought 10 days of custody, arguing that Dola had been on the run since the case was registered and that his custodial interrogation was necessary to probe a larger narcotics network. While a chargesheet had already been filed, the agency told the court that fresh leads had emerged during initial questioning that required verification.

According to the anti-drugs agency, Dola is a key international supplier of mephedrone and is allegedly linked to a wider drug syndicate.

Investigators have claimed that 20 kg of the contraband seized in June 2023 was supplied by him. The agency further alleged that co-accused Faisal Javed Shaikh, described as the main kingpin in the case, was in direct contact with Dola via WhatsApp and would receive consignments at a fixed location near JJ Hospital in south Mumbai.

In his statement, Shaikh allegedly told investigators that he procured around 40 kg of mephedrone every month from Dola at Rs 7 lakh per kg and sold it at Rs 18 lakh per kg, generating profits of Rs 40-50 lakh monthly. The NCB also told the court that a financial probe had led to the freezing of assets worth Rs 6.40 crore linked to the alleged drug proceeds.

The agency further cited Dola's alleged involvement in multiple cases across the country, including a Gujarat case involving the seizure of over 90 kg of mephedrone and a 2024 case linked to a multi-state drug cartel. Investigators also referred to older cases, including a 2018 fentanyl seizure by Mumbai's Anti-Narcotics Cell, a DRI case involving smuggling of banned gutkha, and earlier narcotics seizures dating back to 1998.

Defence counsel Advocate Zehra Charania questioned the basis of the arrest, claiming that the NCB had acted solely on the basis of a co-accused's statement. "NCB has arrested him on a statement," she said.

She also flagged procedural confusion during the remand process. According to the defence, the sessions court indicated that the matter, being a first remand, should be heard by a magistrate, even as transit remand had already been granted in Delhi following Dola's arrest at the airport.

Charania also pointed out that the remand copy does not mention Dawood Ibrahim.