Of the 73 accused held this year, 21 are locals

Amresh Parab

Panaji: There has been an 82% rise in the number of drug peddlers apprehended by the state police this year till April when compared to the figure during the corresponding period last year.

In the last four months, the Goa police have arrested 73 drug peddlers in connection with 60 cases booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Police said that from January to April last year, 40 accused were arrested in connection with 37 drugs-related cases.

Stating that the seizure of drugs runs into crores of rupees, the police said that around 58 kg of narcotics were seized in the first four months of 2022, while this year, till April, around 67 kg of drugs have been seized.

Most of the seized contraband happens to be ganja, which, according to sources, is widely available throughout the country. A total of 56 kg of ganja was seized by the police last year from January to April, while this year, around 62 kg of ganja has been seized till April.

Apart from ganja, the other types of drugs seized by the police this year include charas around 2.8 kg, cocaine, hashish oil, MDMA, opium, LSD, ecstacy, heroin, amphetamine, methamphetamine and ketamine.

According to the police, out of the 73 accused arrested this year till April, 21 are residents of Goa, while 44 are from other states and eight are foreign nationals.

Among the foreign nationals held, three are from Nigeria, two are from Uganda and one each is from France, Liberia and Nepal.

Police said most of the drugs cases this year have been booked by the Anti Narcotics Cell, which has registered 15 cases followed by the crime branch police, which has booked ten cases. Similarly, the Calangute police have booked eight cases, while the Anjuna police have booked seven cases. The remaining cases have been booked by other police stations across the state.