AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
Even before the death of a 21-year-old youth from Indore—who succumbed to a drug overdose outside a club in Vagator — officials from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Di rectorate of Enforcement (ED) had begun to fear that Goa’s drug landscape was deteriorating rapidly, de manding urgent and deci sive intervention to prevent the problem from spiralling further. Their concerns inten sified following a major crackdown in January 2026, when authorities seized 20 kilograms of nar cotics and Rs 3 crore in cash from the residence of an alleged drug peddler in Chapora. “There is substantial ev idence that four Goa-based individuals—each with prior jail terms in drug-re lated cases—are now at the forefront of organising rave parties. More worry ing is the emergence of new methods to transport drugs from abroad into Goa, with young people from oth er States being recruited to distribute them,” said a senior NCB official, speak ing on condition of ano nymity. Central intelligence agen cies were further alarmed by the arrest of a wom an of African origin, who was caught with three kilograms of Ecstasy after boarding a bus in Bengalu ru bound for Goa. “What stood out was that she had travelled all the way from New Delhi to Ben galuru by bus, accompanied by her daughter, while car rying the consignment. During interrogation, she admitted she was en route to Goa,” said an NCB officer involved in the investiga tion. In January, the NCB’s Goa unit conducted multiple raids.
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The NCB seized 20 kilograms of marijuana across three operations—eight, five, and seven kilograms respective ly—and recovering LSD in a fourth raid, underscoring the scale of the problem. “After reading the O Heraldo report detailing the mix and quantity of drugs found in the deceased youth, I wasn’t sur prised,” said an intelligence officer, requesting anonymity. “It appears that major operators are now relying on young outsiders to peddle drugs at rave parties across North Goa,” said an officer from the Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW). “Our investigations suggest that certain individuals from Kerala have settled in parts of Querim and Arambol, and we suspect synthetic drugs are being routed through these networks,” the officer added. “Goa has been on our radar for years. Beyond appre hending two major dealers linked to Goa, we’ve also dis rupted attempts to host similar rave parties in our State. The two issues are closely connected,” the officer said. “To be truly effective, we need active cooperation from the local police,” intel officials emphasised. Officers from H-NEW have previously alleged that “they received no assistance from Anjuna police when pursuing suspects John Steven D’Souza and Edwin Nunes” – a claim denied by Goa Police. With two overdose deaths already reported at rave par ties this year, intelligence officers warn that local authori ties must act decisively. “We simply do not have the manpower to manage the scale of the problem in Goa. Unless central and local agen cies work in tandem, traffickers will continue to thrive, deaths will rise, and it may take the tragedy of another high-profile victim to trigger real action,” an officer cau tioned.
Financial trails are equally concerning.“During a joint raid with the NCB in Vagator, we recovered Rs 3 crore in cash from a suspected dealer. When questioned, he claimed it was revenue from water sports activities,” said an officer involved in the operation. “The NCB was brought into the ED operation to ensure a coordinated crackdown. Drugs are a national scourge, and Goa is at the epicentre of this crisis. It’s imperative that lo cal police recognise the gravity of the situation,” the officer added. Officials also point to challenges on the ground.“In Goa, it’s common for individuals to threaten calls to powerful authorities. I recently asked someone for their Aadhaar card to verify their identity. He immediately threatened to call a VVIP. I proceeded with my duty regardless,” an NCB officer recounted.
