POLITICIANS AND JOURNALISTS ARE OFF THE LIST OF CBI IN GOA’S DRUG NEXUS TRADE

PANJIM: Politicians and journalists are off the radar of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has taken charge of Goa's drug nexus probe, an official said Thursday.  The CBI, which took over the investigations Wednesday, will probe three criminal cases involving nine policemen and two Israeli drug dealers, and also the overall drug trade scenario in Goa.

'About politicians and journalists...we cannot rely only on media reports for investigation. There are police officers who have been named. As far as we know, it is a police-drug peddler nexus,' CBI Superintendent of Police (SP) S.S. Gavali told reporters.  An initial probe by the anti-narcotics cell of Goa Police had suggested involvement of journalists in Goa's drug peddling network.

A Swedish model and former girlfriend of Israeli drug dealer Yaniv Benaim alias Atala, one of the prime accused in the drug trade, has also linked Goa Home Minister Ravi Naik's son Roy to the racket.  When asked if the agency would probe Roy, Gavali said: 'We will not be able to make unjustified remarks or comments.'

Gavali, who heads the CBI's Goa branch, said that the federal agency would also probe the broad drug nexus in Goa, including the inflow and trade of drugs in the tourist state.  'We are going to probe the drug network in a broader sense too by tracking down the source of drugs to the network of drug trade in Goa,' he said.

Claiming that the drug scene in Goa was a 'big concern', Gavali appealed to the people at large to give the agency any tip offs they may come across.  'We are in the process of taking over investigation related documents from the local police stations,' Gavali said, adding that local police would be roped in for logistical assistance. – IANS