The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has launched a massive operation to track down wanted smuggler Haji Salim, also known as “Lord of Drugs”, and dismantle the large-scale cartel activities run by him.
The crackdown efforts have been launched on the directions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and under ‘Operation Sagar Manthan’, which was started early this year by NCB by constituting a team of officers of Operations Branch of NCB headquarters and officers of Operations/Intelligence Wing of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and ATS Gujarat Police to counter the threat to national security emanating from maritime trafficking of illicit drugs.
Who is Haji Salim
The criminal network of Haji Salim, one of the most wanted drug kingpins in the Indian Ocean region, is suspected to be responsible for a massive drug pipeline spanning multiple countries, from Pakistan to India and beyond, officials said.
Apart from India and Pakistan, Salim’s alleged massive smuggling syndicate is responsible for trafficking large quantities of narcotics across several other countries such as Mauritius, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Multiple international law enforcement agencies including those in the United States, Malaysia, Iran, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, New Zealand, and Afghanistan are on the lookout for him, according to a news agency ANI report.
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Deputy Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau, Gyaneshwar Singh, said Haji Salim is one of the biggest drug traffickers in the world, 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 a very big network. He has been on our radar for a long time but in this case, I would not like to comment on Haji Salim’s name or anyone else’s name because the investigation is still at a very initial stage,” the report quoted Singh as saying.
Salim’s network linked to narco-terrorism
Singh, who said the scale of Salim’s trafficking syndicate is “unparalleled,” added that his network is linked to narco-terrorism activities that destabilise the region.
His drugs are not only a menace to society but also fund terror operations across borders, said Singh.
Officials said the drug syndicate of Haji Salim was first unearthed in 2015 when a huge consignment of drugs worth several crores was intercepted near the coast of Kerala.
‘Raktbeej’
As part of Operation ‘Sagar Manthan’, authorities have seized nearly 4,000 kilograms of illicit drugs linked directly to Salim’s cartel, with several Pakistani nationals arrested in connection with the haul. Moreover NCB officials have seized drugs worth an estimated ₹40,000 crores in the past two and a half years alone.
Despite the arrests and confiscations, Salim continued his operations illegally, earning him the nickname “Raktbeej” in the global drug trade, officials said.
Salim’s syndicate smuggles drugs mainly through the sea, often using specially marked shipments to identify his cargo. Some markings consistently found on seized shipments carrying drugs belonging to Salim’s network are 777, 555, 999, flying horses, and scorpions.
According to intelligence sources cited in the report, Salim’s shipments often originate from Iran, passing through Afghanistan and Malaysia, before reaching Sri Lanka. The drugs are then transferred to smaller vessels which transport the narcotics to the Indian coastline mostly at night, landing at obscure ports and beach locations.
As per authorities Haji Salim has a close connection with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, as he was allegedly seen entering and leaving Dawood’s mansion.
Except for an old photograph and an address in Pakistan’s Karachi, allegedly near Dawood Ibrahim’s hideout, the authorities have no other information on Salim, sources said.
Intelligence reports suggested that ISI has provided Salim with satellite phones, to stay in constant touch with his agents at sea, as per NCB sources, who also claim that Salim recruits unemployed youth from Balochistan to carry out smuggling operations.
