PANAJI
Amidst the prevalence of easily available illicit drugs, the presence of party drugs and synthetic substances strongly suggests a potential surge in demand, especially with the tremendous flow of tourists during the peak season.
Goa Police’s latest data indicates Methamphetamine; Amphetamine, Ketamine, and Hashish oil besides the otherwise popular party drugs such as MDMA, Cocaine, Ecstasy, etc have been in huge demand.
Two of four overdose cases grabbed national attention last year receiving backlash for allegedly failing to curb the deep-rooted narcotics trade. The untimely death of BJP leader Sonali Phogat resulted from a fatal overdose of methamphetamine -- a recreational drug, and in another case, a financial consultant from Delhi Sara Khan had a close brush with death due to overdose involving cocaine and amphetamine.
The year 2021 witnessed seizures of 13.20 gms of methamphetamine, 8.1 gms of amphetamine, and 541 gms of hashish oil. In 2022, marked by a series of overdose cases, massive drug seizures and some high-profile arrests (by Hyderabad police), Goa Police seized 45 gms of methamphetamine and 3.152 kgs of hashish oil. So far this year, the police’s various units have already seized 148.9 gms of methamphetamine, 0.8 gms of amphetamine, 1.386 kg of Heroin Oil and 237.5 gms of ketamine.
These statistics reflect just a fraction of the various drugs that have made their way into the coastal State, despite occasional raids and Goa police's claim of zero tolerance to drugs and crime.
The substantial number of arrests involving both foreign and Indian nationals indicates not only the clandestine trafficking of drugs into Goa but also their active involvement in the drug trade within the State.
There is no denying that Goans are also playing a significant role in the drug trade, which was also reported in The Goan's edition on Monday.
