Nearly 150 kg drugs worth over Rs 73 cr seized till mid-June; seven-fold increase compared to entire haul of 2024
PANAJI
The surge in drug seizures in the State has not only set alarm bells ringing but also exposed a troubling foreign link behind the menace. In the current year till mid-June, Goa Police seized nearly 150 kg of narcotics valued at over Rs 73 crore – a massive jump compared to drugs worth Rs 9.91 crore seized through all of last year.
Moreover, in just five and a half months, 15 foreign nationals were arrested for allegedly peddling different kinds of drugs along the coastal belt and the interiors.
From January 1 to June 15 this year, a total of 98 persons were arrested in 78 cases. Of these, 15 were foreign nationals with Nigerians and Russians dominating the list, while the remaining were from Ghana, Zimbabwe, Japan, Germany, Nepal, Sweden and Israel. This included three women, as per the official data available with The Goan.
The total quantity of drugs seized so far amounts to nearly 150 kgs and is valued at over Rs 73 crore – a large quantity of which were hallucinogenic substances too.
A closer look at the comparative data from 2024 revealed that the department booked 162 cases and arrested 190 persons, of whom 24 were foreign nationals hailing from Nigeria, Russia, Uzbekistan, Iran, Liberia, etc.
Police officials from the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) and Crime Branch (CB) played a major role in enforcement in both years, with high-volume hauls and arrests particularly concentrated in the tourist-heavy north belt.
In 2025, North Goa police alone accounted for 34 of the 78 cases, 35 arrests and a seizure of over 39 kg of drugs. The ANC, South Goa police and Crime Branch booked 16 each and 11 cases respectively.
“The volume of drugs seized and the range of nationalities arrested indicates the drugs peddlers/ dealers consider Goa the wider drug circuit. It’s no longer small peddlers working in isolation. Nevertheless, we are constantly maintaining a watch and cracking down on the menace,” a senior CB official told The Goan.
Officials further stated that synthetic drugs including MDMA, LSD, and ketamine, dominate the seizures, though charas and ganja remain prevalent in street-level sales.
