Dubai-based drug lord behind ₹2,500cr cocaine smuggling operation arrested
What's the story
Pawan Thakur, a Dubai-based drug trafficker, has been arrested and will be deported to India soon, NDTV reported, quoting sources. Thakur is accused of masterminding one of India's largest cocaine smuggling operations last year. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had seized nearly 82kg of high-grade cocaine worth ₹2,500 crore in Delhi in November 2024. The consignment was sent through an Indian port and then trucked to Delhi, where it was stored in a warehouse for distribution, according to investigators.
Network mastermind
Thakur's role in international narcotics network
Thakur is also believed to be behind a meth drug seizure worth ₹282 crore in Delhi earlier this week, the report said. He started his career as a hawala agent in Delhi's Kucha Mahajani market and later expanded into large-scale narcotics trafficking. The black money from the drug trade was funneled through an elaborate hawala system, involving cryptocurrency transactions and shell companies across India, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the UAE.
International cooperation
Interpol's silver notice and ED investigation
The NCB had issued an international Silver Notice against Thakur in September, enabling global law enforcement agencies to trace assets linked to him across multiple jurisdictions. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also probing Thakur's syndicate for laundering over ₹681 crore through fake import-export documents, crypto transfers, and falsified financial statements. After failing to respond to multiple summons from the ED, a non-bailable warrant was issued against him by Delhi's Patiala House Court.
Evasion and excess
Thakur's escape and luxury lifestyle in Dubai
After the drug seizure in Delhi last year and the arrest of his associates, Thakur fled to Dubai. There, he continued to run his smuggling and money laundering operations while acquiring properties and luxury cars. His assets include a villa in the Dubai Hills estate. The NCB is now preparing to interrogate him extensively upon his return to India, hoping to identify all individuals involved in this narcotics operation.