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Manohar Parrikar, leader of opposition in the Goa assembly, said on Monday that MV River Princess, a cargo vessel that has been beached off Sinquerim, is being used as a transit point for drugs.
The former chief minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader alleged that sale of drugs in Goa was widespread and that the narcotics associations were now using the beached ship for hoarding and disbursing drugs.
"The River Princess is being used for smuggling of drugs. It has now become a transit point for drugs. The police should take action on this," Parrikar said.
The MV River Princess had grounded off Candolim beach back in 2000. The state governments have been unsuccessful to haul the ship from the beach, despite the fast erosion of Candolim beach, which has been triggered by the ship's looming presence.
The legislator of the ruling Congress party Agnelo Fernandes also criticised the home department for allowing the adjoining renowned Calangute beach to be allegedly controlled by narcotics cartels from different countries.
Speaking in the assembly on Monday, Fernandes alleged that drug cartels from Nigeria, Scotland, Israel and Russia had carved out independent pockets of influence in the popular coastal village of Calangute and said that even he felt threatened travelling in those places at night.
