PANAJI
The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Goa Police arrested Israeli national Yaniv Benaim alias Atala in a high-stakes drug bust at Siolim, seizing cocaine and charas worth Rs 8.70 lakh along with Rs 40,000 cash. As per police release, Atala, a long-time figure of notoriety in the narcotics scene, was held after weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering by ANC sleuths. The raid, conducted at his rented residence, led to the recovery of 50 grams of cocaine and 110 grams of charas. The ANC stated that this is the first time Atala has been caught in possession of narcotics. He was previously arrested in 2010 after his name surfaced in the police-drugs mafia and politician nexus; and again in 2019 in connection with an assault case registered at Anjuna police station. He was bailed out by the High Court of Bombay at Goa in the attempted murder case in 2020, after his arrest by Uttrakhand police while he tried to flee the country. Atala has been remanded to five days of police custody in the present case.
