INDIAN police in the holiday resort state of Goa on Thursday (October 17) said they had arrested a British man after their biggest ever drugs seizure, worth 20.5 million rupees ($330,000/£203,789.91).
Gary Baird, 45, was arrested on Wednesday (October 16) for illegally possessing more than four kilograms of amphetamine, said police superintendent Karthik Kashyap.
“The accused had come to deliver the narcotics to a customer,” he told reporters, adding that Baird had visited Goa several times in recent years and was staying in a hotel.
The Briton was held during the raid in Aguada village, 10 kilometres (six miles) from state capital Panaji, and Kashyap said more arrests were expected in the case.
Goa has been a popular destination for foreigners since the days of the hippie trail in the 1960s, but the availability of illegal drugs and aggressive dealing around its beaches has long caused concern to authorities.
Kashyap said amphetamines were a relatively new phenomenon in the state.
“This is the biggest seizure in the history of drug seizures by the Goa police,” he said.
