‘LSD hidden in books and photo frames’: Goa Police bust pan-India drug trafficking network

On Monday night, police conducted searches at a rented apartment in North Goa’s Anjuna and arrested one accused, recovering narcotics worth Rs 1.1 crore in the international market, including 1,825 LSD blot papers. According to police, the accused is in his 30s, is from South India, and has been living in Goa for the last few years.

Tikam Singh Verma, SP anti-narcotics cell, said the accused procured a large consignment of drugs through the “dark net” and supplied it to his customers, who are mostly from the party circuit in major cities of the country.

“The accused used to receive the contraband hidden in books and photo frames through courier and further used to send them to his customers across the country through courier as per their requirement,” SP Singh said.

Based on disclosures and further questioning of the accused, the anti-narcotics cell conducted another search in Anjuna and arrested one of his associates. Police recovered contraband worth Rs 2.5 lakh, including cocaine, charas and DMT, from his possession.

Police said a commercial quantity of DMT – a potent synthetic hallucinogen – was seized during the searches. According to police, DMT is used for a “spiritual ceremony” known as ‘Ayahauska’, conducted by the narcotics users in hinterlands in the state, where DMT is typically mixed with different herbs and administered orally or through inhalation of smoke.

“The second accused has been living in Goa for the last 10 years and was previously arrested in a drugs case in his native place for possession of LSD,” said a police officer.

Police said this was the fifth narcotics related raid conducted by the anti-narcotics cell in the last fortnight, and that more arrests are likely.