india

Updated: Feb 23, 2019 14:37 IST

The Goa Police arrested a four-member “Russian gang of international criminals” on Friday for growing cannabis in rented apartments and robbing ATM machines using gas cutters in north Goa.

In a statement, the police said they have seized drugs mainly ganja and also ecstasy and cocaine worth approximately Rs 7 lakh.

The four Russians were identified as Ilia Alexandrovich Schennikov (30), Radik Vafin (35), Evengii Zakharin (38) and Igor Markov (32).

Police revealed that they first swooped upon Schennikov who was found to be growing marijuana in his rented apartment. Police seized cannabis plants worth Rs 65,0000 from him.

“During the course of interrogation he revealed that some foreigners staying in a house at Mandrem (a coastal village in Goa’s northernmost Pernem taluka in the vicinity of the more popular Morjim beach) are also suspected to be dealing in narcotics,” North Goa Superintendent of Police Chandan Choudhary revealed.

The police raided the house and seized 39 grams of ecstasy, 4.69 grams of MDMA, 1.24 grams of cocaine and 2.4 kg of ganja.

Radik Vafin, one of the four accused, also confessed to stealing cash from ATM machines including the breaking open of a Bank of India ATM in November 2018 from which Rs nine lakh was stolen using gas cutters and explosives.

The police have also seized a car and a two wheeler from the Russians.

During the last tourist season, police made only one arrest for growing cannabis. That haul was worth Rs 10 lakh. This season there have already been six cases and a haul of drugs worth Rs 1.3792 crore.

Areas in north Goa especially Siolim, which is in the neighbourhood of the popular Anjuna and Vagator beaches as well as Mandrem, which is in the vicinity of the Morjim and Arambol beaches have emerged as ‘factories’ and supply hubs for not only the drug trade but also growing marijuana.

Being away from the hustle of beaches and with several new residential complexes having sprung up in the area, the village has turned into a fertile ground for such drug operations.

Last December, the Anjuna Police arrested an Austrian national Christian Koller for setting up a chemical laboratory for manufacturing synthetic narcotic drugs in a rented apartment and seized drugs and raw material worth Rs one crore from his flat.