New Delhi: Pawan Thakur, a Dubai-based drug trafficker accused of masterminding one of the largest cocaine hauls in India last year, has been arrested in the UAE. Authorities confirmed that he will soon be deported to India to face multiple criminal cases.

Thakur is alleged to be the key orchestrator behind the smuggling of nearly 82 kilograms of high-grade cocaine, valued at approximately Rs 2,500 crore, that was intercepted by authorities in Delhi in November 2024. According to investigators, the consignment was routed through an Indian port before being transported by truck to the national capital, where it was concealed in a warehouse awaiting distribution across the country.

In addition to the massive cocaine seizure, officials revealed that Thakur was also the mastermind of a methamphetamine (meth) consignment worth Rs 282 crore that was seized by the anti-narcotics agency in Delhi earlier this week.