The ease with which Israeli national Yaniv Benaim, better known as, secured bail less than five months after being caught with 50 grams of cocaine and 150 grams of charas has surprised few in Goa. Many anticipated the outcome, especially in light of previous allegations by his former girlfriend, Swedish model Lucky Farmhouse, that high-ranking officials in Goa were “sewn into her boyfriend’s pockets.” “Apart from being a safe place to sell narcotics, Goa is turning out to be an easy getaway for many dealers. Here, one seems to get bail with no pain. That the Goa ANC did Serial drug offender Atala’s bail raises eyebrows.
Despite a long history of arrests, Israeli national Yaniv Benaim — alias Atala — walks free again, raising questions about Goa’s law enforcement not appeal against his bail is indication of this,” said an intelligence officer tracking developments from outside the State. Goa’s Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC), led by Superintendent Sunita Sawant, has yet to file an appeal nearly a month after the bail was granted. Sawant, however, rejected any suggestion of inaction on her part, stating that protocol must be followed and that the decision to appeal cannot be taken by her alone. “It is not an easy process and a decision that can be taken by me alone. We have to follow protocol,” she said. Atala was arrested during the intervening night of 4 and 5 August 2025, with cocaine and charas in his possession. It was far from his first offence. Between 2015 and 2025, he had already been arrested on seven other occasions. In Crime No. 18/2025, registered by the ANC, Atala pleaded guilty, paid a fine, and was convicted until the rising of the court.
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In 2006, in Crime No. 82/2006 registered by Anjuna Police, he was arrested for overstaying, pleaded guilty, and served two days’ simple imprisonment. A year later, in Crime No. 103/2007, again for overstaying, he pleaded guilty and underwent three months of simple imprisonment. In 2010, Atala was arrested by the Crime Branch in Crime No. 16/2010, and released on bail, but the case was never charge-sheeted. In 2019, he was arrested in Uttarakhand under Crime No. 19/2019, convicted, and sentenced to six months of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10,000. That same year, he was booked under Crime No. 54/2019, a trial still pending. Most recently, he was arrested under Crime No. 61/2025 at Anjuna Police Station, for which he was also granted bail and awaits trial. “Atala is not a small-time peddler. His arrest came as a big relief to us and his bail came as a surprise. When a prosecution fails once, the appeal is the next step — which was not used in this case,” said another intelligence officer. Sawant, while emphasising the limitations of her role, did not hide her disappointment. “He might have got bail but that does not mean we have turned our focus away,” she said
Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 50 grams of cocaine falls between the limits of small and commercial quantity — the threshold for commercial quantity being 100 grams. In the case of charas, the commercial quantity begins at one kg; there is no officially defined small quantity. Atala was caught with 150 grams. The order granting Atala bail by Sessions Judge Irshad Ashraf Agha was based on the premise that “the quantity of substance is variable.” The prosecution also claimed that Atala held two passports, a point dismissed by his advocate, who presented only an Israeli passport and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. The controversy over Atala’s Aadhaar card reached the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court, where the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was asked to furnish his enrolment details in a sealed cover. “The least we expected the Goa police to do was to write to UIDAI asking them not to issue Aadhaar cards to foreigners henceforth,” said another intelligence officer. According to the UIDAI website, foreigners are eligible for Aadhaar only if they have stayed in India for at least 182 days in the preceding 12 months. Applicants must present a valid foreign passport with a valid visa and a proof of address, typically a certificate issued by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). The Aadhaar issued to foreign nationals is valid only for the duration of their visa, and can only be issued after a resident permit is granted by the Foreigners Registration Office. Asked whether the ANC had taken up the matter with UIDAI, Sawant replied, “This is a good suggestion. I will think about it.” Atala’s repeated escapes from sustained prosecution — despite multiple arrests, convictions, and international allegations — continue to raise questions about the rigour and will of Goa’s law enforcement machinery. For now, he is once aga
