Drug Menace-Hit Goa Gets Tough on Rogue Tourists

India’s coastal state of Goa, which hosts more than half a million foreign tourists every year is grappling with drugs – a law and order situation worsened by foreign nationals who overstay and indulge in the peddling of smuggled contrabands.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — Goa, one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, has opened a special detention center for foreign nationals who overstay after their visas expire. The detention center at Mapusa in north Goa will be operational from next month. Foreign nationals who do not possess the requisite documents or are found overstaying will be locked up in the detention center until they are deported. The coastal state receives more than 500,000 tourists every year, mostly from Russia and Britain.

The need for such a detention center was felt as most of the foreign tourists caught overstaying were also found to be involved in drug peddling and other illegal activities including organizing rave parties. Even after being arrested, such tourists often secure bail and roam scot-free, as they cannot be sent to jail unless proven guilty. This year so far, Goa police have arrested 37 foreigners engaged in drug peddling as compared to 14 such arrests last year.