Four Russians arrested in Goa for growing, selling drugs

Panaji, Feb 23: Four Russians were arrested in North Goa for cultivating marijuana and selling other psychotropic drugs, police said on Saturday.

The police on Friday night arrested 30-year-old Ilia Stennikov for illegally cultivating marijuana worth Rs 65,000 in a rented apartment in Mandrem beach village, located 30 km from Panaji, North Goa Superintendent of Police Chandan Choudhury told the media here. 

The three others - Igor Markov, Radik Vafin and Evgeny Zakharin - were arrested later.

"We registered an FIR against Stennikov under relevant sections of the NDPS Act. But his interrogation led us to the three other Russians living in a house in Arambol (an adjoining village), who were selling drugs and one of whom was involved in ATM thefts in the North Goa district," Choudhury added.

Drugs worth Rs 6 lakh were recovered from the house in Arambol.

During interrogation, Markov confessed to his involvement in the ATM thefts, including a recent incident when a Bank of India ATM was robbed and Rs 9 lakh stolen.

More than half a dozen cases have been booked by the North Goa police involving foreign nationals cultivating drugs in rented premises over the last one year.