The number of foreigners arrested for possessing drugs in Goa has been rising, official figures indicated on Wednesday.
Twenty-two foreigners were arrested in the first six months of this year, just one short of the total for the whole of 2009, statistics put before the legislative assembly reveal. Six Nepalis, five Israelis, four Nigerians and two Swedes were arrested, with others from Iran, Norway, the Netherlands, Russia and the Palestine territories. Thirteen foreigners were arrested for alleged narcotic offences both in 2007 and 2008.
Police said the rise in arrests this year was due to their “proactive approach” to tackling drugs. “Stringent action has been initiated against drug peddling in the state,” said police spokesperson Atmaram Deshpande. “The anti-narcotic cell (ANC) has their own network which provides information about narcotic activities in the coastal belt. The ANC is acting quickly and arresting the accused,” he added.
Under the NDPS Act, those caught and convicted for drugs offences face a maximum 10-year jail term. But aggressive peddling, which is allegedly commonplace around popular beaches, nightspots and drugfuelled parties suggests that the arrests are the tip of the iceberg — and that police are allegedly turning a blind eye to the issue.
Earlier this year, a number of police officers were arrested after an alleged drug-dealer claimed in a ‘Youtube’ video clip that they sold him confiscated narcotics. One former dealer, who spent seven years in prison for drug offences, told AFP last year that police and the local authorities were well aware of foreign groups controlling the illicit trade.
Twenty-two foreigners were arrested in the first six months of this year, just one short of the total for the whole of 2009, statistics put before the legislative assembly reveal. Six Nepalis, five Israelis, four Nigerians and two Swedes were arrested, with others from Iran, Norway, the Netherlands, Russia and the Palestine territories. Thirteen foreigners were arrested for alleged narcotic offences both in 2007 and 2008.Police said the rise in arrests this year was due to their “proactive approach” to tackling drugs. “Stringent action has been initiated against drug peddling in the state,” said police spokesperson Atmaram Deshpande. “The anti-narcotic cell (ANC) has their own network which provides information about narcotic activities in the coastal belt. The ANC is acting quickly and arresting the accused,” he added.
Under the NDPS Act, those caught and convicted for drugs offences face a maximum 10-year jail term. But aggressive peddling, which is allegedly commonplace around popular beaches, nightspots and drugfuelled parties suggests that the arrests are the tip of the iceberg — and that police are allegedly turning a blind eye to the issue.
Earlier this year, a number of police officers were arrested after an alleged drug-dealer claimed in a ‘Youtube’ video clip that they sold him confiscated narcotics. One former dealer, who spent seven years in prison for drug offences, told AFP last year that police and the local authorities were well aware of foreign groups controlling the illicit trade.
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