ANC probes growing juvenile link in drug trade, finds links across sectors and locations
PANAJI
Three minors, picked up in two unrelated drug cases days apart, are once again drawing attention to a quieter move in the narcotics trade, edging closer to schools, low-wage work, and, increasingly, juveniles.
The first thread surfaced in the Rs 68 lakh drug seizure in February, when an adult accused, during interrogation, named his alleged supplier as a minor. Police sources said the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) traced the boy this week and produced him before the Juvenile Justice Board, which sent him to Apna Ghar in Merces.
What set the case apart was the boy’s circumstances as his father is already in jail in a separate narcotics case, while the minor himself is enrolled at a vocational training centre and interning at a vehicle showroom.
“Though no drugs were recovered from him, he has been charged with allegedly supplying contraband to customers. His alleged network, including source, intended distribution points and clients, is being investigated,” the source revealed, adding that his family moved swiftly to seek his regular bail.
Then, in the early hours of April 7, a separate trail emerged in Mapusa. Acting on a tip-off, the ANC reached open fields opposite the Bodgeshwar Temple, where a 24-year-old steward, Vijay Singh, was found with about five grams of suspected ganja. With him was a 17-year-old carrying roughly five grams of suspected methamphetamine, valued at around Rs 25,000.
Police sources said that the case widened from there as two more minors believed to be involved in procuring drugs surfaced. “Both are high school dropouts working in the hospitality sector. The third juvenile is currently untraceable,” the source added.
The arrests come as the Goa police widened their probe into the death of Ishan Singh Badgujar, a 21-year-old Indore tourist, last Saturday. Doctors at the Goa Medical College and Hospital ascertained “cocktail of drugs” in addition to a mix of alcohol.
