It’s Nigerians in Candolim; Russians in Morjim and Israelis in Vagator
TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Nearly five centuries ago the Portuguese navigators and traders seeking to control the spice trade in India discovered that the prices of spices in Goa were nearly 1/500th the price in Europe and thus began the spice trade and imperialism across the World.
Fast forward to 2013 and it is neither the Portuguese nor the spices that rule the trade. Enter the Nigerians, who, on an average, buy cocaine for what is equivalent to 30 paise in Colombia for a gram and sell the same for around Rs 30,000 in Goa.
The same driving force that drove the Europeans towards the East in a bid to control the spice trade is now luring Nigerians to sell their cheaply procured narcotic drugs for a heavy price.
While it is true that not all Nigerians here are involved in the drug trade, by and large the impression is that most of them are here for the sole purpose of drug peddling.
According to sources familiar with the drug trade, the cocaine that reaches the Goa coast is produced in Colombia and other Central and Latin American countries and from there is shipped to Africa’s west coast, be it Senegal, Namibia or Nigeria where enforcement is poor.
From there it is transported across land right up to the Gulf of Aden, a region that has high concentration of ships as well as pirates. From there it is once again sent by sea to India.
The preferred offloading point is Gujarat owing to the large number of small and large ports that dot the State’s coastline.
“Nigerians are involved in the drug trade due to decades of civil war between Muslims led by the Boko Haram jihadist group and Christians in that country. The lawlessness makes the country the epicentre of the trade from where drugs are shipped to the rest of the world,” the source said.
“The risk is high, but the returns are also high,” he added.
Herald has learnt that Nigerians are involved in peddling narcotic substances to Indian tourists and a section of the Caucasian tourists. The other sections of tourists which include Russians, Israelis and others have drug peddlers of their own nationalities to supply drugs to them.
The trade is also divided according to areas. While Russians have taken over the drug business in Morjim and Arambol beaches in Pernem, Israelis run the show at Vagator.
The Scotts trade in Calangute and Baga, while the Nigerians and Kenyans dominate Candolim. Palolem too now has its share of drug dealers.
“Drug peddlers are not just vendors, they are also agents whom drug users contact for the supply of various drugs and they then procure it for them,” a source from the beach belt revealed.
However, sources inside the industry say the narcotics that are sold in Goa are highly adulterated with pharmaceuticals leading to many adverse reactions among drug users.
All of the people Herald reporters spoke to have admitted to police complicity in the matter.
