Panaji: The Goa Police have busted an international racket involved in trafficking of Hydroponic Weed (also known as Dro) from Thailand to India, with the arrest of three persons. While one of those arrested is a ‘mule’, or carrier, the other two are members of an organised syndicate, an official said.
“A complaint was first lodged on March 3, 2025, at the Crime Branch police station in Ribandar, Goa. This was after the arrest of one Goutham M (26). Originally from Bengaluru in Karnataka, he was residing at St Anthony Waddo, Guirim, Mapusa, Bardez – Goa, at the time of his arrest. He was caught in the possession of a transparent polythene packet containing dried greenish fruiting tops (buds), suspected to be Hydroponic Weed,” the official said.
Hydroponic Weed or Dro is considered to be at least 50 times more potent than normal marijuana or cannabis and severely impacts the health of users. Every kg of Dro is valued at Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore in the illicit market.
Goutham possessed 11.672 kg of Dro, valued at nearly Rs 11.67 crore. During interrogation, the youth claimed that he had been contacted by his friend Taslim, a resident of Bangkok in Thailand and offered Rs 100,000 to carry a consignment of drugs to India. Further investigation led the police to one Shilna A in Bengaluru. It came to be known that she is a key member of the cartel in Bangkok and coordinated with local suppliers in Bengaluru. She was arrested on March 12 and taken to Goa.
Investigation continued and the name of Sreejil P P surfaced. A resident of Kannur in Kerala, he was one of the financial backbones of the racket. It was he who paid for the air tickets for Goutham and the others. The plan was to smuggle the drugs into Goa and earn a huge profit by setting up a new market. The plan involved peddling drugs to tourists, who visit Goa in large numbers.
“Unfortunately, they were not aware that the Goa Police has launched a major crackdown on drugs. Sreejil was arrested in Kannur on March 19 and brought to Goa. Subsequently, Look-Out Circulars (LOCs) and Blue notices have been issued against other members of the gang who are hiding in Thailand. The investigation is being carried out by inspector Prashal Dessai, under the supervision of DySP Rajesh Kumar and SP Rahul Gupta,” the official added.
