Hyderabad: Over the years, Goa has become the main source of psychedelic drugs. Several youngsters, including students, have entered the drug trade. They visit Goa at frequent intervals and earn large amounts by smuggling drugs such as LSD, Ecstasy, hashish and cocaine to Hyderabad.
As the numbers of these peddlers keep growing, the Hyderabad Police struggle to understand their modus and bust their operations. A 24-year-old peddler who was arrested in 2015 told this newspaper, “The first time I went to Goa was in 2013, with two of my friends, as part of my birthday celebrations. We planned to visit as many beaches as possible and get drunk. On the second day, we went to Vagator beach, where we had booked accommodation. We met a man who was renting bikes to tourists, and he offered us hashish. That was the first drug I purchased in Goa, and it was for my personal use,” he said.
The next time he went to Goa, he met the contact again, and asked him for enough hashish to be able to take back home and share with his friends. “He gave us the quantity we wanted, and we sold half of it in Hyderabad, at double the price,” he said.
The third time, he went to Goa alone. This time, the contact told him that he could arrange for LSD and ecstasy as well. “After setting a commission, he introduced me to a French national, who was reluctant to give me the drugs. I got a dozen LSD stamps that day. I kept them inside a book and travelled back to Hyderabad by bus,” he said. He added that though he never bought cocaine, he knew people who could have given it to him.
From then on, he would visit Goa at least twice a month, except during the monsoon. “I had a good customer base in Hyderabad. I would travel alone, by bus to avoid the risk of being caught. After a point, I did not even trust my friends,” he said. His career ended when one of his customers tipped off the police, which led to his arrest.
He is out on bail, and says he is no longer selling drugs. He has to appear before the police as and when required. “I am trying to find a job. I have stopped using drugs myself,” he said.
