New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has issued an international Silver Notice against a Dubai-based drug trafficker named Pawan Thakur for having masterminded the smuggling of nearly 82 kilograms of high-grade cocaine worth nearly Rs 2,500 crore that was seized in Delhi in November 2024.
This is for the first time Indian authorities have used Interpol’s Silver Notice mechanism to target a drug trafficker abroad. The notice enables international law enforcement agencies to trace assets, businesses and financial operations linked to the accused across multiple jurisdictions. It also facilitates coordination between Interpol’s 196 member countries to provide intelligence and freeze illegal properties.
Officials are calling this a landmark step in the fight against global narcotics syndicates.
On November 14, 2024, NCB officials raided a property in Delhi’s Nangloi area linked to Thakur and recovered nearly 82 kilograms of high-quality cocaine. The drugs, concealed in a consignment shipped from Mexico, had been intended for further transport to Australia.
Five of Thakur’s associates were arrested in connection with the seizure.
The consignment, investigators say, was routed through an Indian port before being transported by truck to the capital, where it was stored in a warehouse for distribution.
“The notice has been shared with agencies in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Hong Kong, and several European countries, where Thakur is believed to have invested heavily in real estate and businesses through a web of shell companies and front organisations,” NDTV has reported.
The NCB investigation suggests Thakur was not just the mastermind of the November 2024 cocaine seizure but also a long-time operator in the hawala and money laundering business, the news channel says.
Thakur is known to have originally working as a hawala agent in Delhi’s Kucha Mahajani market, he is alleged to have gradually expanded into large-scale narcotics trafficking, using his financial expertise to conceal illicit earnings.
Investigators have said that his operations span across India and Dubai. The black money generated from the drug trade was routed through an elaborate hawala system. Evidence also points to the use of cryptocurrency transactions and cross-border shell companies in India, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and the UAE.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) th at is running a parallel probe, has unearthed that Thakur laundered over Rs 681 crore through fake import-export documentation, crypto transfers, and falsified financial statements.
Despite multiple summons from the ED, Thakur failed to appear before investigators, prompting Delhi’s Patiala House Court to issue a non-bailable warrant against him. Shortly after the Delhi cocaine seizure in November 2024, he fled India with his family and settled in Dubai, where he reportedly continues to manage his smuggling and money laundering network, NDTV reported.
In 2025 alone, NCB has managed to get four major traffickers extradited to India, including Naveen Chichkar and Lijo Josh, through cooperation with foreign governments.
At the moment INTERPOL Blue Notices have been issued against 21 drug traffickers wanted by India. There are 10 Red Notices for other high-priority fugitives. Three extradition requests are pending with foreign governments.
