PANAJI: Going by its seizure of drugs worth over Rs 10 crore in 2015, Goa Police has termed Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal's statement that it is “the easiest place in India to get drugs in Goa but there are hardly any arrests” as factually incorrect.
Speaking at an event in Delhi on Sunday evening, Punjab Dy CM Badal had sought to juxtapose Punjab, which has been dubbed as the drug capital of India, with the drug scene in Goa. He had said, "Goa is the easiest place in India to get drugs, but there are hardly any arrests. Punjab is acting tough but gets branded as a drug capital. Punjab is just a highway for drugs route and not the market."
Reacting to this, Superintendent of Police (Crime and Anti Narcotics Cell) Karthik Kashyap on Monday stated, "By and large the local population is not involved in the issue. There is misconception that drugs are freely available in Goa. The information (that drugs are easy here) is factually incorrect. Goa is not a source destination, it is a consumption destination hugely dependent on tourists demand."
Kashyap further said, "The quantity of seizures and arrests show very clearly the tough intention of Goa police and the government to act against this menace of drug trafficking."
In 2015, ANC of Goa Police booked 23 cases and arrested a total of 25 persons, out of which 15 were Indians and 10 were foreign nationals from Nepal, Israel, Italy and Nigeria. Total drugs seized in 2015 weighed 9.621 kgs and 49 gms. These included narcotic substances like ganja, charas, cocaine, LSD papers, LSD liquid, heroin and amphetamine costing an approximate Rs 10,08,12,000.
In addition to this, in January this year, ANC conducted two successful raids in a span of four days, on January 22 and January 25, seizing narcotic substances weighing approximately 178.29 gms while placing two persons under arrest under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
Those arrested included a Nigerian national, who was caught while in possession of MDMA drug weighing 13.29 gms and ganja weighing 35 grams and the other was a native of Karnataka, who was caught with 130 grams blackish colour substance which is suspected to be charas. The approximate cost of drugs seized in these two raids is over Rs 70,000, sources said.
