Foreign nationals using drug trials to avoid deportation: Goa police

Panaji: Investigations by Goa police in narcotic cases against foreign nationals have revealed that foreigners without valid travel documents are getting involved in alleged illegal activities to continue their stay in Goa.In the past six and a half years, 149 foreign nationals were arrested by Goa police for allegedly being involved in the narcotic trade. A senior police officer said that criminal cases against them give them “blanket permission” to continue to stay in Goa.A senior police officer stated that when they interrogated the accused in narcotic cases, the accused revealed that they pleaded guilty before the court in cases of overstaying without documents, but faced trial in narcotic cases so that they could continue to stay until the pending trial.On Thursday, the anti-narcotic cell (ANC) of Goa police arrested a Cameroon national, Promise Umeh, for allegedly possessing a narcotic substance and seized 13 grams of ecstasy powder worth approximately Rs 1.3 lakh. DySP (ANC) Nerlon Albuquerque said that the Cameroon national was earlier arrested by the ANC in 2024 with charas, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other drugs.“The accused was recently released on conditional bail in July.

By maintaining a close vigil on his movements, ANC sleuths discovered that he resumed drug trafficking activities,” Albuquerque said.In April, Goa police registered an FIR against Israeli national Yaniv Benaim alias Atala, an alleged drug dealer, for allegedly staying in Goa illegally without valid documents. Atala, who has been staying in Goa since 2006, was arrested in 2010 by Goa police in an alleged police-politician-drug mafia nexus case.The issue was discussed by the law enforcement officers at the anti-narcotic task force committee, comprising members of various law enforcement agencies, for better cooperation and coordination, to exchange intelligence, and to draw an action plan to combat drug trafficking.A senior police officer said that during the coordination meeting, it was discussed that Union govt should come out with a policy so that such nefarious criminals are deported as and when they are found in repeated criminal offences, ensuring that foreigners do not use our land to carry out such activities.