Staff Reporter

Panaji

The anti-narcotics cell (ANC) of the Goa police arrested 62-year-old man Anil Gadekar of Mapusa and seized 60 gram of methamphetamine, `6,400 in cash and a car, all worth around
`13 lakh.

The police said an ANC team led by police inspector Arun Dessai acted upon a tip-off and surveillance inputs and conducted a raid in Mapusa on Tuesday.

The team nabbed Gadekar when he had come to deliver a consignment of drugs to his prospective customer.

The raid was monitored by superintendent of police (ANC) Shivendu Bhushan and deputy superintendent of police Harishchandra Madkaikar.

Police sub-inspector Rohan Madgaonkar is investigating the case.

It is pertinent to note that the Goa police arrested 186 alleged drugs peddlers in 2022; 30% of them were residents of Goa.

The police seized drugs worth over `5 crore in 153 cases and arrested 186 accused: 28 of them were foreigners, 56 were Goa residents and 102 accused were from outside the state.

Among foreigners, most of those arrested in the drugs trade were 13 Nigerian drug peddlers.

There were four Russians among the arrested, three Tanzanians and one national each from the U.S., Liberia, Uganda, Nepal, Netherland and Japan.

Last year the police seized over 207 kg of drugs. A majority of the contraband was ganja.

The police seized over 181 kg of ganja followed by cannabis plants (12 kg), charas (7 kg) and other drugs such as MDMA, cocaine, hashish, LSD and other drugs.