Goa police chief: African tourists are drug peddlers

MAPUSA, Goa, India – North Goa SP Vijay Singh recently said Nigerian tourists are drug peddlers and have shifted base from Anjuna to neighbouring places.

MAPUSA, Goa, India – North Goa SP Vijay Singh recently said Nigerian tourists are drug peddlers and have shifted base from Anjuna to neighbouring places. He urged people to be careful while letting out rooms to Nigerian tourists.

“African tourists, especially Nigerians, are drug pushers. So you have to be very careful while letting out your premises,” the North Goa SP said, while interacting with Anjuna locals.

“Drug peddling by Nigerians is a menace which we have to eliminate,” Singh said, seeking people’s support in anti-narcotics drives by police.

Nigerian tourists have shifted from Anjuna to neighbouring places like Parra, Mapusa, Nagoa and Arpora the police official said. He also urged hoteliers and guesthouse owners to be careful while renting rooms to them.

A number of clashes between locals and Nigerians have been reported at Anjuna in recent months. Sources said a local youth from Caisua died allegedly due to a drug overdose five months ago, from narcotics allegedly supplied by a Nigerian. Sources also said that the Nigerians have formed a group which has clashed with locals on several occasions.

“Nigerians have on many occasions assaulted and misbehaved with locals, we have booked about 25 Nigerians this year in various crimes,” the SP said. “Their modus operandi is simple. They hire a premises for 10-15 days to push drugs and keep changing their base to hoodwink the police,” he added.

Bustling nightlife on Anjuna beach, with night clubs and pubs, makes Anjuna an attractive place for party lovers and drug peddling, sources said.

Many Nigerians have been found to overstay in the country without valid documents or with forged visas. Police sources said that when visas of Nigerians are about to expire, they pick up fights so that they are booked by police and so can continue staying in Goa pleading that they have to attend court proceedings in connection with the assault.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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