PANAJI: The year 2020 saw fewer narcotic cases in the state, but the quantity of narcotic substances seized is more than 80% of the previous year’s quantity, Goa police said.
As per police statistics, over 85kg narcotic substances were seized in 2019 compared to over 146kg in 2020.
“The movement of drugs hasn’t increased in the state. It is police proactiveness that has resulted in the seizures,” superintendent of police (anti-narcotic cell), Mahesh Gaonkar, said.
Gaonkar said that police have adopted a new strategy to book cases to control the drug menace. “It is very difficult to book narcotic cases, otherwise,” the SP said.
Asked how police will tackle the growing menace of cannabis cultivation in the state, Gaonkar said, “Over enthusiastic people have done this and tried to experiment with it, but it is not on a commercial scale like in Karnataka and UP. The climate in Goa is not conducive to grow cannabis.”
He said that natural drugs come to Goa from states like Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and Goa police are keeping a watch on these routes.
The SP said that synthetic drugs are brought to Goa from outside the country after diluting them. “The state’s coastal belt is where narcotic substances are pushed,” he said.
Gaonkar said that police will create awareness in education institutions to prevent the spread of narcotic substances among the youths.