Goa drug bust: Largest narcotics seizure in state’s history, 11.67 crore worth of weed recovered

In an all-time spate of crackdown on narco smuggling, an individual was arrested for carrying hydroponic cannabis worth ₹11.67 crore. The seizure is being described as the state's biggest drug seizure ever. The arrest was made at Guirim village on the Panaji to Mapusa route on Saturday.

Police arrested the suspect and confiscated 11.672 kilograms of hydroponic grass, whose worth was approximated at ₹11.67 crore, the crime branch spokesman said. It is the largest drug seizure in Goa ever. The suspect has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Police actions embraced by chief minister

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant appreciated the police for their successful operation. In a social media post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, he wrote, "Congratulations to the Goa Police Crime Branch for the biggest drug bust in the state's history."

He also added, "In a surprising breakthrough, Crime Branch police busted a drugs racket and arrested an offender with 11.672 kg of hydroponic marijuana worth ₹11.67 crore. This shows our police officers' persistent effort to make our state drug-free."

Goa's Chief Minister reaffirmed the state's zero-tolerance policy against drugs and declared the government's determination to take action on intelligence networks and increased surveillance to check such illegal activities. "To safeguard our youth and society, we will act firmly against drug criminals," he vowed.

What is hydroponic weed?

Hydroponics is a highly advanced method of cultivation in which the plants are cultivated in the absence of a soil medium under a controlled regime of plant development supplemented by an aqueous nutrient-rich solution. Hydroponics is most often utilized for hydroponic growing of illegal crops such as marijuana since this has better control of plant growth.

Here, hydroponics was used in large-scale growing of marijuana, and therefore this bust is the biggest drug bust in Goan history. The state government has taken it seriously and has promised to tighten regulations to make sure that such offenses do not occur in the future.