Goa Police has been lately cracking down on many drug-related cases in the state but despite that, the drug trade did not slow down. In its efforts to clamp down on the drug trade in Goa, the State government anti-Narcotic Cell arrested 93 persons this year itself, and alarmingly, 23% from this group constitute Goans.
The State has been witnessing an increasing number of cases of the drug trade and despite several measures being put in place, the trade continues to flourish. However, in recent years, Goans have also been actively involved in the illegal drug trade.
According to the Navhind Times, around 23 percent of the accused arrested by the Goa police for the last 5 months are Goans. Around 50 percent are from other states and just over 25 percent are foreign nationals.
Since January 2019, the Goa police have booked 89 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested 93 accused persons. Out of the 93 accused, 22 are Goans, 47 from other states of India and 24 foreigners. Among foreign nationals 14 are from Russia, 2 Kenya, 1 Italian, 6 Nigerian and 1 accused is from Nepal.
The cases were booked by the anti-narcotic cell (ANC), the crime branch police and the police from North as well as South Goa district.
According to information from this source, out of the 89 cases, ANC has registered 12, crime branch, 5 in North and Goa police has registered 46 cases whereas South Goa police have registered 26 cases.
According to a report in ‘Its Goa’, Umesh Gaonkar, SP of the anti-narcotic cell (ANC) said, “People are getting into drugs trade owing to easy and fast money… and after looking into the drugs trade we have realized that some local Goan families are also involved in the drugs. It is a bad trend and may set a precedent for other families to follow suit. It’s high time that collective efforts are made by everyone to root out the drug menace,” he said while citing the case where an entire Goa family in Mapusa was involved in the drug trade.
“A couple of months’ back two sisters and their father from Mapusa were arrested in a drugs case. They are currently in judicial custody. A few days back we arrested one youth from North Goa while his brother was arrested in December last year and has been in judicial custody. Their father has been serving a sentence of 12 years in jail in a drugs case. Incidentally, earlier he had also served a sentence of 10 years in a drugs case.”
According to the source, drugs over 22 kg were seized during the raids and is worth around Rs 1.32 crore. Drugs seized includes ecstasy tablets, MDMA, ganja, charas, LSD papers, marijuana oil, cocaine, ephedrine, methamphetamine, gbl liquid, heroin and ecstasy powder informed police officials.
The highest seizure was done recently wherein the ANC arrested a Nigerian national with drugs worth over Rs 54 lakh during a raid in Siolim.
Further according to the source, to increase intelligence on drug trafficking and to enhance the enforcement against the drug menace, the Goa police will be working in close coordination with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
Sources further informed that ANC will coordinate with the NCB in developing the intelligence on drug peddlers and drug trafficking. “This will help to increase the enforcement against the drug menace in the state,” informed sources
Source: Navhind Times | Its Goa | India Today
