The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has from April 28, 2023 till date made four major narcotic seizures in Goa, clearly indicating that Goa is not just a major destination, but that the night parties organised are a good market for the sale and distribution of drugs across India.
“Drug dealers use the loud party spots in Goa as destinations to create markets in other states of the country. We have been focusing on this aspect with the Goa Police, and they just don’t seem to bother or pretend not to see through the plan,” a top IPS officer of Hyderabad told GT Digital on the condition of anonymity.
Just this year, the NCB first arrested a Russian swimmer and a former police officer from Russia in Ashvem, Mandrem, along with a local accomplice on April 28. Andre was arrested with blots of LSD and confessed to having been growing marijuana.
On May 3, it was reported that the NCB busted a clandestine laboratory in Anjuna where LSD blots and MDMA powder were seized, and a lad from West Bengal was arrested.
A Kenyan national was arrested on May 3 by NCB at the Dabolim airport as he was arriving from Johannesburg, South Africa, through Dubai, with two packets of cocaine weighing 1.009 kg. The consignment was to be delivered to a Nigerian in New Delhi.
The customs officers and Revenue Intelligence, on August 2, held three individuals at the IGI Airport involved in smuggling 5.2 kg worth of heroin, which was to be delivered in Goa to a lady, who was flying from Hyderabad, at a hotel in the state.
These four seizures in less than a year are a frightening indicator that Goa is a hotspot for drugs, and the police are not equipped to handle the menace despite officers from narcotic wings of other states willing to help.
The Hyderabad narcotic cell has been upset with Goa Police over their inability to cooperate in trying to bottle the problem before it is beyond control.
“We have not asked them to investigate for us. All we asked is for help in arresting the people our investigations have zeroed in on. Yet we meet with difficulties. As officers we know whether we are being helped or the perpetrators are,” claimed an IPS officer from Hyderabad.
There are people in Goa who are directly involved in peddling drugs and people who are abetting the trade. Both are criminals, and most of the drugs coming into Hyderabad are directly from Goa.
“There are people in Goa who we know are directly involved in peddling drugs and people who are abetting the trade. For us, both are criminals, and most of the drugs coming into Hyderabad are directly from Goa,” asserts the officer.
“The people arrested in Hyderabad confess their source, and it invariably has been someone in Goa at all times. The drug route between Goa and Hyderabad is well established and the ineptitude of the Goa Police is making it difficult to cut the route,” added the officer, while maintaining that their determination to crack the supply chain remains strong.
“There are people from Hyderabad who have been caught in Goa too, but those are the ones that are there to bring drugs back here,” reasons the officer.
“Our officers on reconnaissance have noticed how the blasting music draws drug consumers to such parties. Would anyone in their normal mind be at a place where such loud music is played?” asks the officer.
The nexus between the police and peddlers is spoken of but hardly focused on in Goa, though the CBI did manage to clear out some worm-ridden bad apples in the past. Unfortunately, it has not been enough.
“Loud music is a norm in the northern belt, and it happens next to the police station, so it is obvious why it is not found to be loud. As law enforcers, we need to realise that our kin may fall victim to drugs someday, and that explains our no-nonsense attitude towards drug trafficking,” explains the cop.
The nexus between the police and peddlers is spoken of but hardly focused on in Goa, though the CBI did manage to clear out some worm-ridden bad apples in the past. Unfortunately, it has not been enough.
