Is Haji Salim the next big threat in global drug nexus, underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is his…

In a significant development months after the seizure of illicit drugs worth thousands of crores off the Gujarat coast, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of India has planned a chief operation targeting the drug cartel led by Pakistan-based Haji Salim, is termed Haji Baloch or the “Lord of Drugs.” This operation named the ‘Operation Sagar Manthan,’ aims to dismantle the expansive global network controlled by Haji Salim.

The hot drug seizure, which involved Four,000 kilograms of illegal substances, is a key development in the continuing operation. The medication were intercepted off the Gujarat coast, highlighting the scale of the trafficking operations that the NCB is working to disrupt. The operation has led to the arrest of a couple of individuals, including nationals from Pakistan and Iran, who were allegedly all in favour of the smuggling network.

The criminal network of Haji Salim is suspected to be accountable for a giant drug pipeline spanning greater than one countries, from Pakistan to India and beyond, officials said.

Indian govt launches major operation to trace down Haji Salim

Talking to ANI, Deputy Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau, Gyaneshwar Singh, said, “Haji Salim is thought of one of a couple of important biggest drug traffickers on earth, who supplies large shipments of heroin, methamphetamine, and other illegal narcotics through a complex network that spans across Asia, Africa, and the West. He has an exceedingly big network. He has been on our radar for a prolonged term but in this case, I may perhaps no longer like to the touch upon Haji Salim’s name or anyone else’s name since the investigation is still at an exceedingly initial stage.”

Salim is allegedly the leader of a giant smuggling syndicate accountable for trafficking large quantities of narcotics across a couple of countries, including India, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. A couple of international law enforcement agencies including those in the United States, Malaysia, Iran, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, New Zealand, and Afghanistan are attempting to search out him.

“He is thought of one of a couple of important most wanted drug kingpins in the Indian Ocean region. His operations are vast, and the scale of his trafficking syndicate is unparalleled,” he said.

“Salim’s network is linked to narco-terrorism activities that destabilize the region. His drugs should not best a menace to society but also fund terror operations across borders,” added Singh.

Per officials, the drug syndicate of Haji Salim used to be first unearthed in 2015 when a giant consignment of medication worth a couple of crores used to be intercepted near the coast of Kerala.

Following this, NCB officials seized drugs worth an estimated Rs 40,000 crores at some stage in the past two and a half of years by myself. Whatever the arrests and confiscations, Salim continued his operations illegally which earned him the nickname “Raktbeej” in the worldwide drug trade, they said.

One in all the important thing tactics used by Salim’s syndicate is the smuggling of medication through the sea, often using specially marked shipments to p.c. his cargo. Drugs bearing markings kind of like 777, 555, 999, flying horses, and scorpions have been consistently found on seized shipments, marking them as belonging to Salim’s network.

Per intelligence sources, Salim’s shipments often originate from Iran, passing through Afghanistan and Malaysia, prior to reaching Sri Lanka. The medication are then transferred to smaller vessels which transport the narcotics to the Indian coastline mostly at night, landing at obscure ports and sea coast locations.

(With inputs from agencies)