NIGERIAN ARRESTED WITH NARCOTIC DRUGS WORTH RS. 1,24,600

PANJIM: A Nigerian who had been residing in Goa without valid documents since the past year was caught by the Calangute police on Monday evening with narcotic drugs worth 1,24,600.  Nwododo David, 23, was caught red-handed by the Calangute police team led by PSI Chimulkar on Monday while he was waiting near a parking area at Saligao trying to sell drugs that he was carrying with him to tourists.

The police found him in possession of 66 ecstasy tablets worth 52,000, 11 gram of cocaine worth 55,000 and 4 gram of heroine worth 1,600. He has been booked under the NDPS Act.

Police said that David was in Goa since the last year and was staying in a rented room in Saligao. Upon verification, the police found that he was staying in India without valid documents. "We are now trying to verify if he had entered India with valid documents and had destroyed his visa after expiry. Many foreigners destroy their documents once the visa ends and continue to stay in Goa for long period," police said. If a foreigner is found without valid documents, he/she is booked and continue to stay in the country as the case is taken to the court, police said.

In another raid, Anjuna police caught an ex -convict, Subhash Kargaonkar, 50- who had been in jail for 10 years in a drug case-with 87 grams of charas wroth 8,700 at Chapora.

Among the foreign nationals arrested for drugs this year, Nigerians are in the top bracket. Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes has on several occasions accused Nigerian groups for their alleged involvement in drug-pushing. In the assembly session, he even lambasted the police for not acting on "a group of Nigerians which is controlling the drug market in Goa". (TNN)