PANAJI
Facing apparent pressure from a relentless Telangana police crackdown on interstate narcotics that saw recent arrests of two Goans, the Goa police have intensified efforts to trace drug seizures back to their source. In their latest operation, the police targeted a supply chain stretching from Bardez to Mumbai, which led to the arrest of four individuals while tracking suspected suppliers.
According to North Goa police, back-to-back operations by Mapusa and Anjuna police mark a shift towards dismantling supply networks rather than arresting low-level peddlers in possession of contraband.
The operations come amid investigations by Telangana’s anti-drug enforcement agencies, including the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE Force), into suspected narcotics networks spanning Goa, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In one high-profile case, a Goan kingpin allegedly maintained a network of more than 800 customers in Telangana alone.
Meanwhile, in the two cases registered on October 16, Goa police had arrested two men allegedly found in possession of narcotic substances. The investigation teams subsequently tracked down two alleged suppliers through follow-up investigations.
In the first case, Mapusa police arrested Zameer Mohammad Sheikh, 37, a Mapusa resident, during a raid near the New KTC Bus Stand on October 16. Police seized 30 gm of methamphetamine and 2 gm of MDMA, collectively valued at around Rs 3 lakh.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Umar Faruk Gaffar Kacchi, 26, of Verla-Canca, who was allegedly identified as the source of the seized drugs. Both men have been booked under Sections 22(b) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
In a separate operation the same day, Anjuna police arrested Abhishek Singh, 35, a resident of Thane West, near the football ground in Assagao. Police seized 97 LSD paper blots valued at approximately Rs 9.70 lakh.
Police said Singh, who studied automation engineering in Pune, was allegedly involved in drug peddling to make easy money as a side business. Following the supply trail, Anjuna police traced and arrested his alleged supplier, Hasan Imam Shaikh, 50, in Mumbai. Shaikh had previously been booked in criminal cases registered by Delhi and Mumbai police, according to the police.
Both men have been booked under Section 22(c) of the NDPS Act.
The police said the current strategy was to identify the wider procurement, supply and distribution chains rather than restrict investigations to people caught with drugs.
“As part of the ongoing drive against narcotic drugs under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, North Goa Police have intensified their efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks by focusing on linkages and identification of suppliers,” the police said.
The action comes amid Telangana’s wider probe into suspected drug supply networks extending from Goa into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
On October 12, EAGLE Force, in coordination with Hyderabad police and with assistance from Goa police, arrested Pritesh Borkar, 36, in Anjuna. He was subsequently taken to Telangana for further investigation. Borkar allegedly maintained a network of more than 800 customers in Telangana, with additional connections in Andhra Pradesh.
In another case, EAGLE Force arrested Goan resident Custodio Fernandes while investigating suspected financial transactions worth Rs 48.4 lakh and contact details of more than 25 Telangana residents found on his mobile phone.
