Months after drugs worth thousands of crores were seized off Gujarat Coast, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of India has launched an operation targetting the drug cartel run by Pakistan-based Haji Salim aka Haji Baloch.
Haji Salim, also known as 'Lord of Drugs', came under NCB's radar after it decided to launch 'Operation Sagar Manthan' to dismantle the cartel with tentacles all over the world. The recent seizure of 4,000 kg of illicit drugs off the Gujarat coast was part of the operation. Several Pakistani and Iranian nationals were arrested in this connection.
Who is Haji Salim?
Haji Salim's name first came to light in 2015, when his consignment worth crores was caught in the sea near Kerala.
The drug boss is reportedly based in Balochistan province and has been running a drug syndicate that spans from Pakistan, India, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives to the US. Such is the vastness of his empire that law enforcement agencies in the United States, New Zealand, and Afghanistan are on the lookout for him, according to Narcotics Control Bureau Deputy Director General Gyaneshwar Singh.
One of the biggest traffickers in the world, Salim supplies large shipments of heroin, methamphetamine, and other illegal narcotics to Asia, Africa, and the West. "The scale of his trafficking syndicate is unparalleled," Singh said.
The investigation agencies have little information on him and the details available so far are limited to an old photograph and some personal details.
However, reports hint that Haji Salim has close links to Dawood Ibrahim, the infamous underworld gangster wanted by India. Salim is said to be Dawood Ibrahim's neighbour and was once captured on camera entering the latter's residence.
Though the NCB has managed to make multiple seizures and arrests, Haji Salim's empire continues to thrive, which earned him the nickname "Raktbeej" in the global drug trade.
Officials said his modus operandi is to smuggle the narcotics through sea and his shipments bear markings such as 777, 555, 999, flying horses, and scorpions as identification marks. His consignment often originates in Iran and passes through Afghanistan and Malaysia, before reaching Sri Lanka. These are then moved to smaller vessels and moved to the Indian coastline mostly at night, landing at obscure ports and beach locations.
Salim is also said to be recruiting unemployed youth from Balochistan for his trade and is also said to have close links with ISI.
