Mastermind of Rs 2,500 crore cocaine racket arrested in Dubai, to be deported to India soon
Pawan Thakur is suspected of overseeing trafficking of nearly 82 kg of high-quality cocaine, valued at around Rs 2,500 crore, intercepted in Delhi in November 2024
PTC Web Desk: Pawan Thakur, a Dubai-based alleged international drug kingpin linked to one of India’s largest cocaine seizures, has been arrested and will be deported to India soon, officials have confirmed.
Pawan Thakur is suspected of overseeing the trafficking of nearly 82 kg of high-quality cocaine, valued at around Rs 2,500 crore, intercepted in Delhi in November 2024. Investigators believe the shipment was smuggled through an Indian port and later moved by truck to the national capital, where it was stored in a warehouse for distribution across the country.
Officials further revealed that Thakur also played a key role in another major crackdown earlier this week involving methamphetamine worth Rs 282 crore seized in Delhi. Authorities say he has deep links to illegal financial networks and has been involved in hawala transactions and money laundering for several years.
According to investigation agencies, Thakur began his operations in Delhi's historic Kucha Mahajani market as a hawala operator. Over time, he expanded his network into international narcotics trade, using his financial background to hide drug profits behind complex global payment routes. Probes indicate the use of cryptocurrency channels, cross-border shell firms and illicit banking routes spanning India, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE.
In September, the Narcotics Control Bureau issued an international Silver Notice against Thakur, enabling global agencies to track his financial assets, business fronts and laundering channels.
Alongside the narcotics probe, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating money laundering allegations against Thakur’s network, which allegedly moved over Rs 681 crore using forged import-export paperwork, crypto transfers, and falsified financial accounts. Earlier, the ED searched his premises and froze 118 mule bank accounts linked to the syndicate.
Despite repeated summons, Thakur never appeared before the agency, prompting Delhi’s Patiala House Court to issue a non-bailable warrant against him.
Sources claim that after last year’s major cocaine bust and the arrest of five of his aides, Thakur fled to Dubai along with his family. Since then, he allegedly continued running his trafficking operations from abroad and invested heavily in luxury properties and vehicles, including a villa in Dubai Hills Estate.