Rs 300-cr Nhava Sheva drug haul in Mumbai puts ISI-linked trafficker Hussain Dad in focus

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) The seizure of 55 kg of methamphetamine, valued at around Rs 300 crore, from a Container Freight Station (CFS) facility near Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva port has once again turned the spotlight on notorious drug trafficker Mohammad Hassan Hussain Dad.

An old hand in the international drug trade, Hussain is believed to control a significant portion of the narcotics market in India. Based in Kandahar, Afghanistan, he is reportedly an asset of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and is suspected of playing a key role in diverting a substantial share of drug proceeds to fund terror groups.

Hussain is already known to Indian investigative agencies. He has allegedly been involved in several similar drug trafficking operations in the past and has also been chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

An official said that Hussain allegedly carried out several operations in India.

The challenge for Indian agencies lies in the scale of Hussain’s operations. He rarely deals in small consignments of narcotics. Unlike conventional drug smugglers, his syndicate is known for moving large quantities of drugs, particularly heroin, into India and other South Asian countries.

An Intelligence Bureau official says that Hussain, on the instructions of the ISI, is likely to ramp up the operations as the Pakistani spy agency needs funds.

“The ISI needs the funds to boost terror operations in India as it is planning major attacks,” the official claimed.

Following the arrest of Salim Dola, a key aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim who was overseeing the syndicate’s operations in India, the network has kept a relatively low profile. According to sources, this appears to be part of a broader strategy, with the ISI seeking to ease the pressure on the syndicate and give it time to regroup before attempting to revive its operations in India.

Another official said that, given the current situation surrounding the D-Syndicate, operatives such as Hussain are likely to step up their activities in India and expand their operations.

The official said the syndicate could move larger consignments of narcotics amid the reported need for funds to revive terror groups in Pakistan and strengthen their operations in India.

“The scale of future smuggling attempts could therefore be substantial,” the official said.

In the past, Hussain’s syndicate sent drugs to the tune of 2,998 kg which was valued at Rs 21,000 crore. Hussain had managed to push this consignment in India allegedly with the help of a firm in the country. The heroin was concealed with a talc shipment to avoid detection.

However, the Indian agencies managed to bust this operation. He has set up a deeply entrenched network of local cross border drug runners, who supply the narcotics in various parts of the country.

Hussain has traditionally worked alongside the Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT). The Hafiz Saeed founded group has been planning big off late and is attempting a proxy warfare in Jammu and Kashmir.

The LeT, which suffered considerable losses during Operation Sindoor is in desperate need of funds to revive and also boost its operational capabilities.

Officials said that with the ISI currently placing its primary focus on Lashkar, Hussain could increasingly emerge as a key figure for supporting the syndicate’s operations.

The NIA had in its chargesheet said that Hussain works in tandem with the Lashkar.

The NIA had also said that the multi-billion dollar proceeds from Hussain’s drug rings are funnelled through informal hawala banking networks.

According to officials, the proceeds from the drug trade are used to finance anti-India and terror-related activities in the country. They alleged that funds raised through Hussain’s network were also used to finance the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials say that Hussain along with his brother Mohammad Hassan Dad run the syndicate from Kandahar.

“They use commercial front companies to move massive quantities of heroin. The front company that they use to run this trade is known as the Hassan Hussain Ltd, which they call as a company doing export business,” said the officials.

In the recent bust at Nhava Sheva, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has learnt that the syndicate’s handlers had allegedly established contact with Mumbai based import-export firms.

They then got in touch with a trading firm in Uttar Pradesh for the export of 22 tonnes of maize. The drugs were concealed in the consignment carrying the maize and then the same was brought to a CFS facility at Nhava Sheva for shipment.

The DRI, acting on specific intelligence inputs, searched the container and found that one bag in which the maize had been mixed with the narcotic substance.

Agencies have warned that Hussain is unlikely to halt his activities. An official said that growing pressure from the ISI to generate funds could prompt his syndicate to make more attempts to smuggle narcotics into India, with future consignments potentially being much larger.

— IANS

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