ED on Dawood's drug trail, raids 20 locations

NEW DELHI: A countrywide crackdown has begun to dismantle an international drug syndicate operating from India, with ED carrying out searches across 20 locations on Tuesday in Mumbai, Surat, Ankleshwar and Rajkot, including premises linked to some associates of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.Salim Dola, one of Dawood's associates, was recently arrested in Turkey on India's request and deported. His questioning led to significant intelligence inputs on the syndicate smuggling synthetic drug mephedrone from India, including its manufacture here with the connivance of some owners of chemical units.Tuesday's searches targeted a trans-national narcotics trafficking syndicate operated by Dola and his associates. "The searches are being carried out at premises linked to suppliers of precursor chemicals, intermediaries engaged in chemical trading, traffickers involved in the manufacture and distribution of mephedrone, hawala operators, and persons holding benami properties acquired from proceeds generated through drug syndicate," ED said.ED said its probe revealed a organised trans-national criminal network engaged in procurement of precursor chemicals, clandestine manufacture of mephedrone, interstate distribution, international trafficking, laundering of proceeds through hawala channels, and acquisition of assets in the names of associates and other persons.