A Russian was arrested on Sunday by Pernem police for cultivating cannabis on the terrace of his rented apartment at Mandrem. Cases of drugs being grown by foreigners in rented flats or manufactured in apartment-set laboratories are worrisome for Goa. The enforcement could fail because it’s away from any glare.
Since 2018, police have succeeded in unearthing home-manufacturing units of drugs. A drug laboratory in Anjuna run by an Austrian was manufacturing amphetamine drug powder and GBL liquid. There were cannabis plants cultivated at Aradi-Candolim. Nearly 100 kg of ketamine and raw material used to manufacture drugs were found at an industrial unit in Bicholim. A Russian national grew marijuana in a greenhouse set up inside a bungalow in Siolim, a 23-year old boy cultivated ganja at Mangor, Vasco, and a foreigner was found growing cannabis plants in his garden at Alto-Porvorim.
While Goa is increasingly getting traction for its narco-tourism, the drug narrative is shifting to narcotic cultivation. Police have cracked a few cases, but that’s not enough to cleanse the system. Instances of home-grown drugs point to one common factor “ the rented premises. The root cause of foreigners and tourists taking up narcotic cultivation at premises is because there’s no police reach and it eliminates the middleman.
It goes full circle with a failed tenant-verification exercise. Tourists undertake all cases of drug cultivation and manufacture in rented premises. It’s high time that police get cracking and take the tenant verification very seriously. While there is a massive onus on enforcement, citizens also have a responsibility at hand. Landlords must ensure that premises are not let out for nefarious activities. Letting out premises has turned out to be the most popular and lucrative business in Goa, and these could be epicentres of ills plaguing society. Those involved in drugs or criminal activities cannot be provided a safe haven.
Police tracking individuals with drugs has been a standard feature. Narcotics like ecstasy, MDMA, ganja, charas, LSD paper, marijuana oil, cocaine, meth and heroin have been doing their rounds openly along beach belts. Tourists were arrested for openly smoking charas and ganja at Arambol last week. Ecstasy tablets were found in a Nigeran’s scooter at Calangute. An ex-Turkish army commando was found dealing in drugs from his rented room at Arambol early February. The seizures indicate there is free narcotic movement in the State. And yet the Chief Minister takes pride in announcing on the floor of the House that there’s no drug mafia in Goa. What does it matter CM when there is so much of narcotics in circulation?
Goans can’t feel good about heightened surveillance and the seizures. On the contrary, it’s proof enough of the extent of drugs that are in circulation. Uprooting drugs will require a collective effort and real courage from those who are turning a blind eye to the issue.
