Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Drug cartels are increasingly infiltrating student environments in Goa, with traffickers targeting school and college students as new consumers, Goa Police have warned. This evolving strategy has sparked alarm among law enforcement, prompting calls for tighter community vigilance and systemic intervention.
Speaking at a youth awareness programme in Panaji, Superintendent of Police (Anti-Narcotic Cell) Sunita Sawant said recent cases suggest a deliberate focus by drug peddlers on exploiting emotional vulnerabilities among young people.
“We’re seeing a pattern — young students are being lured in, often due to peer pressure and lack of maturity,” Sawant stated. “This is no longer isolated; it’s becoming an organized effort to hook the next generation.”
The concern follows two student-linked drug arrests in North Goa within a span of 48 hours. On June 16, a 28-year-old was arrested with over 700 grams of ganja in Pernem, and on June 18, a 19-year-old from Mayem was caught with cannabis intended for student buyers. Police confirmed both accused were targeting youth.
What’s most troubling, Sawant said, is the difficult line police must walk between punitive action and protective intervention. “Do we counsel or arrest? A criminal record can destroy a future, but inaction can enable deeper addiction or trafficking involvement,” she explained.
She urged families and communities to help monitor at-risk youth, emphasizing that anonymous reporting systems are available. “We don’t need just police on the streets; we need society’s eyes and ears,” she said.
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