Goa has become notorious as a rave party destination fuelled by the easy availability of designer drugs like Ecstasy.
Goa has become notorious as a rave party destination fuelled by the easy availability of designer drugs like Ecstasy.
PANAJI: Back in the sixties, hippies flocked to Goa and put it on the international map. Flower children made this beach destination their mainstay. Forty years later, Goa has become a rave party destination fuelled by the availability of designer drugs like Ecstasy for which this state has become a transit point.
According to DSP and chief of the Anti-Narcotic Cell Allen Desa, "Goa has become a transit point for different types of drugs, high-end or otherwise." He added that this has occurred despite the increase in conviction rate under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic) Act, which guarantees 10-20 years imprisonment. The conviction rate has gone up by 85 per cent.
Back in 1985, a drug conviction led to a fine of a meagre Rs 100. Since 2001, the cell has arrested 103 Indians and 88 foreign nationals and has booked 164 cases resulting in 61 convictions; while another 82 cases are awaiting trial and eight are under investigation. In 2005, drugs worth 88.42 lakhs were seized, which is the highest-ever recorded and so far this year, drugs worth Rs 54.68 lakh have been seized in the state.
Earlier, the foreigners — 3.26 lakh arrivals in 2005 - were blamed for initiating the drug culture in the state. But, Deputy Inspector General of Police Ujjwal Mishra told DNA, "Now, many locals, especially college students are more into drugs."
Last year, Ingo Grill who runs the very successful Saturday Nite bazaar, was not allowed to operate his markets in Assagaon and Arambol, both in North Goa, because villagers believed his market served as a hub for drug peddlers.
In fact, a walk down Baga's main road can be very enlightening for those in denial about Goa being a drug addict's haven. The whiff of the sickly sweet marijuana hangs in the air making it clear that "hashing" is a common indulgence among the foreigners who hang out here.
But, Rahul Mahajan's case seems to have blown the lid off a culture that youth in the country seem to support. The good news, Ujjwal Mishra says, is that the Anti-Narcotic Bureau has given the cell Rs 20 lakhs worth modern equipment in its fight against the drug menace.
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