Wanted drug producer deported to India from UAE: CBI

The CBI on Friday secured the deportation of Kubbawala Mustafa, a key accused in a major synthetic drug manufacturing case, from the UAE to India.

Mustafa is accused of operating a synthetic drug manufacturing factory in Sangli from abroad. “Around 126.141-kg Mephedrone drugs worth Rs 25 lakh was confiscated from the said factory,” said an official. He has already been charge-sheeted, and an open-dated arrest warrant was issued by a Mumbai court.

He was brought back to India by a four-member team of the Mumbai Police after successful coordination between the CBI’s International Police Cooperation Unit (IPCU) and the NCB-Abu Dhabi through Interpol channels.

According to the CBI, Mustafa was subject of a Red-Corner Notice issued on November 25, 2024, following a request by the Mumbai Police. He was geo-located in the UAE through close follow-up by the CBI with Interpol and NCB-Abu Dhabi. On June 19, 2025, Indian agencies were told that the UAE authorities had approved his deportation.

“The team arrived with Mustafa at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, on Friday,” a senior CBI officer said.