#BreakingNews: India–UAE Joint Operation Nabs Pawan Thakur, Mastermind of ₹2,500-Crore Cocaine Haul
Notorious drug lord arrested in Dubai after year-long manhunt.
Indian and UAE authorities have arrested Pawan Thakur, the elusive mastermind believed to be behind one of the largest cocaine hauls in Indian history. The Dubai-based trafficker, who had been living a lavish life while remotely running his empire, was nabbed in a coordinated operation and will soon be deported to face multiple charges in India. Sources say Thakur had become the most wanted name in India’s war against narco-syndicates after vanishing overseas last year.
Last November, Delhi customs and the Narcotics Control Bureau seized a staggering 82 kilograms of premium Colombian cocaine worth over ₹2,500 crore in the international market. The consignment had sneaked through an Indian port hidden in legitimate cargo, then moved by road to a nondescript warehouse in the capital. Intelligence revealed that every step—from South America to Delhi—was personally overseen by Thakur using encrypted apps from his Dubai villa.
Just days ago, another massive meth seizure worth ₹282 crore in Delhi again pointed straight to the same network. Investigators now confirm Thakur was not just a drug lord but a seasoned hawala operator who started his career in the narrow lanes of Delhi’s Kucha Mahajani market two decades ago. From routing black money for local traders, he graduated to building an international narcotics pipeline, laundering hundreds of crores through cryptocurrency wallets, shell companies in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and fake import-export firms.
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The Enforcement Directorate has already frozen 118 bank accounts and unearthed evidence of ₹681 crore being washed clean through bogus trade invoices. After Thakur ignored repeated summons and a non-bailable warrant was issued, the NCB triggered an Interpol Silver Notice that finally cornered him. Despite changing hideouts and using multiple passports, the 24/7 global tracking of his financial footprints left him with nowhere to run.
As Thakur boards the flight back in handcuffs, officials warn his arrest is only the beginning—dozens of his couriers, chemists, and money mules across India and the Gulf are next on the radar. For now, the man who once mocked Indian agencies from his Dubai Hills mansion is coming home to face the full might of the law.
