Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate has seized cash, gold, and foreign currency collectively valued at Rs 1.3 crore after it conducted searches at 20 locations across Mumbai, Surat, Ankleshwar, and Rajkot on Tuesday in connection with a transnational narcotics trafficking syndicate allegedly operated by Salim Dola, a close aide of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.Dola was extradited from Turkey in April.The ED has also seized documents relating to immovable properties worth several crores of rupees located in India and Dubai, indicating substantial investments made from the proceeds of the organised drug syndicate.The ED said its searches mainly targeted suppliers of precursor chemicals, hawala operators, CAs, and benami property holders in India and abroad. The agency said most of the chemical factories covered in the searches were situated in Gujarat.Sources said the action against drug syndicates usually ends after busting the manufacturing factories and acting against those related to it, so in the recent searches, the agency focused on chemical factories that provided raw material illegally to the drug manufacturing units. Sources added that it included suppliers of precursor chemicals, intermediaries engaged in chemical trading, traffickers involved in the manufacture and distribution of the synthetic narcotic drug, mephedrone (MD), hawala operators, and persons holding benami properties acquired from proceeds generated through the organised drug syndicates.The ED is investigating the money laundering case based on multiple FIRs registered across Mumbai against Dola and others for offences relating to illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
