04 November,2025 01:20 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Dawood Ibrahim. Filepic
In a very surprising yet interesting finding, the Indian agencies have been tightening the noose around the narcotics business that is under the complete control of ISI-backed Dawood Ibrahim. Considering the fact that narcotics, for long, have been a major tool for the ISI to fund its terror infrastructure. The agencies are now more vigilant as the Dawood gang expands its network to cover the losses it has been incurring in recent times, as reported by the news agency IANS.
The Dawood gang, involved in illegal narcotic business, also known as the D-syndicate, has now set up shop in Bangladesh and also plans expansion into Saudi Arabia to further its narcotics trade.
Considering that India is becoming harder to operate in for the syndicate, Bangladesh is the perfect destination where it can expand the drug trade, reports IANS.
The reports also indicate that ISI has instructed the D-syndicate to use Bangladesh as the main point to push drugs into the Indian market. The regime is friendly towards Pakistan, and the ISI is taking complete advantage of the situation to make sure that the narcotic business can be continued in full flow.
As per the reports, the ISI has also told the Dawood gang to use Bangladesh to smuggle drugs not just into India, but to Western and Middle Eastern countries in view of expanding their business to a much greater extent.
South-eastern countries work as a channel for the D-Syndicate
The D-Syndicate has also been recruiting scores of youth to carry out the drug trade, along with forging alliances with the drug mafia that operates out of Myanmar.
While highlighting the expanding narcotic trade between the countries, one of the Intelligence Bureau officials says that "the scale of operations in Bangladesh would be huge. The ISI would tap into all possible resources to make Bangladesh its primary operating centre where narcotics smuggling is concerned," as cited by news agency IANS. This would mean that the focus would move away from Pakistan, which has been the epicentre of the drug trade.
When organisations such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) probe terror funding, then the fingers would be pointed at Bangladesh and not Pakistan, who might allegedly be protecting Dawood Ibrahim.
Keeping in mind that Pakistan would do everything to stay out of the FATF's bad books, owing to its failing economy. Getting back into the FATF's Grey List would signal Pakistan's complete collapse. Complete collapse of the Pakistani economy. Islamabad cannot afford this, considering it is under pressure from China to fund the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project 2.0 (CPEC).
The idea of strengthening their bases in Saudi Arabia by the D-Syndicate will surely improve the drug supply network, thanks to the Pakistani nationals living there. However, according to Indian officials, the target would not be those persons living legally in Saudi Arabia. Many live there illegally, and they would be the target audience of the D-syndicate.
The fact that they are living illegally is something that the ISI would leverage to force them to work for the Dawood gang.
Pulling off the curtains from the D-Syndicate's effort to enhance their narcotic supply, an official also asserted that "The ISI is scaling up the narcotic trade in a big way. It would not just be a problem for India but for many other countries. This requires a coordinated effort, and only then can the issue be tackled," as cited by news agency IANS.
(With inputs from IANS)
