Mumbai Police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) has traced the alleged mastermind behind a Rs 256.49-crore mephedrone racket to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A Red Corner Notice has been issued against the accused, Mohd Salim Shaikh, and efforts are under way to extradite him to India, officers said on Thursday.

Shaikh, who is accused of orchestrating one of Maharashtra’s biggest synthetic drug networks, went underground soon after the police unearthed a large-scale operation in Mumbai last year. Investigators said he played a key role in financing and coordinating the illegal manufacture and trafficking of mephedrone across multiple districts.