Parrikar mum on Goa probing illegal drug unit

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday refused to say if his government will launch an independent probe into an an illegal ketamine manufacturing operation recently busted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

"The raid is entirely conducted by DRI and mainly, as you are aware, it involves a number of states. So I cannot comment on things which are not in my jurisdiction," said Parrikar on the illegal unit in Pissurlem industrial estate, in which more than Rs 25 crore worth of ketamine was being manufactured every month.

At a press conference at the State Secretariat, Parrikar also refused to take more questions on the raid on the unit, which the Congress has alleged was operated by a Bharatiya Janata Party office bearer.

"You can ask DRI because we have no information about it. DRI has powers to take action. They have accordingly taken action."

In a three-day operation code-named 'Operation Vitamin', the DRI last week busted an international drug syndicate, seizing 308 kg ketamine, two tonnes of raw material at various sites in Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, arresting 10 persons including two from the UK and one from Vietnam.

The central enforcement agency has described it as its biggest ever raid on the ketamine manufacturers in the country.

--IANS

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