12 named in ED charge-sheet against narcotics trafficking network linked with Salim Dola

The charge-sheet was submitted on Friday in the designated Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court, which had ordered the issuance of pre-cognisance notices to the accused

MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has named 12 entities, including individuals and firms, in its charge-sheet in the money-laundering case against an alleged narcotics trafficking network which allegedly procured Mephedrone (MD), a prohibited synthetic drug, from someone connected with alleged drug lord Salim Dola.

12 named in ED charge-sheet against narcotics trafficking network linked with Salim Dola

Dola was arrested in Turkey and extradited to India in April this year in pursuance with a red corner notice issued by Interpol, based on a request from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

The charge-sheet was submitted on Friday in the designated Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court, which had ordered the issuance of pre-cognisance notices to the accused.

Those named in the charge-sheet include Faisal Shaikh, who was arrested earlier by the NCB, his wife Alfiya, and 10 others.

The ED’s probe was initiated based on a charge-sheet filed by the Mumbai unit of the NCB under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances ( NDPS) Act. According to the NCB charge-sheet, Faisal Shaikh had purchased 20 kg MD through a contact of Dola. He was arrested along with six other accused by the NCB following the registration of the case in June 2023.

According to the ED, Shaikh and his wife Alfiya joined the well-organised network so they procure MD, and the couple sold the drug to multiple vendors – identified as Samiya, Nasir and others – who in turn sold the drug to their customers.

Shaikh and his wife dealt in cash and deposited the proceeds from drug sales in their personal bank accounts, in a bid to pass them off as legal money, ED officials said. They also laundered the proceeds of crime via firms registered in their names as well as in the names of their associates. In reality, such firms did not have any actual or genuine business activities, the officials said.

Shaikh and his wife also allegedly gave cash generated from drug sales to their close associates including Faizan, ED officials said. Faizan routed parts of the proceeds of crime via multiple bank accounts, including some linked to shell companies connected with Shaikh; these funds were later used to purchase immovable properties.

The ED had earlier provisionally attached seven immovable properties worth ₹5.88 crore, including flats in Mumbai, in connection with its probe. It also seized cash worth ₹42 lakh, 1.6-kg jewellery worth ₹1.76 crore and three second-hand luxury vehicles worth ₹56 lakh. The agency also froze 12 bank accounts in the name of Shaikh, his wife and other accused during a search operation on October 8, 2025. Earlier in June, the ED searched 20 locations across Maharashtra and Gujarat and recovered property-related documents indicating that some assets allegedly procured with the proceeds of crime were located in Dubai.

The ED has thus far raided the premises of some chartered accountants, hawala operators, individuals providing bogus documentation, holders of benami assets linked to the proceeds of crime, and units manufacturing drug precursors involving, at times, restricted chemicals as raw material.