Austrian held as Goa Police bust lab, seize drugs worth Rs 1 cr

The Goa Police on Thursday busted a chemical drug manufacturing laboratory operating from a rented home in the beach village of Anjuna in North Goa and seized synthetic drugs worth nearly Rs 1 crore, while also arresting an Austrian national for running the facility.

Speaking to reporters police inspector in-charge of the Anjuna police station Chetan Patil said that several chemicals used to manufacture amphetamine-based drugs and MDMA were seized in the raid. The premises was rented to the accused Austrian.

"We have arrested Christian Koller,35, an Austrian national for possession of drugs and running the drug laboratory," Patil said.

Koller has been booked under relevant sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances act.

Located 20 km from Panaji, Anjuna is a known narco-tourism destination and the village is known to host drug-fuelled rave parties which are popular with tourists, both domestic and foreign.

(With inputs from agencies.)