Goan drug peddler from Siolim alleges SRK’s son Aryaan Khan and ‘friend’ were to pick up more drugs from Goa

ANJUNA, GOA: Soon after Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was remanded to NCB custody for a day, by a Mumbai court, a small time Goan drug ‘courier’ only identified as “Francis” alleged that the group were scheduled to pick up more drugs including charas and MD for the return trip. ALSO READ: Ajgaonkar himself partly responsible for drug menace in Goa: Sagarika Shona Suman

Francis who resides in Siolim in North Goa, and does odd jobs like transporting very expensive imported, read smuggled booze for high-profile private parties and also supplies high-end, self-drive vehicles on hire for out-of-state tourists, told this reporter that his ‘boss’ from Anjuna had ordered him to be on stand-by on 3rd and 4th as some top clients were coming from Mumbai aboard a cruise ship and certain parcels (read drugs) were to be handed over to them. ALSO READ: Aryan Khan spent Rs 10 lakh per month on drugs, got pocket money of Rs 5 lakh?

He said he did not know if the “delivery was on land or at sea”. Francis revealed that on some cruise trips, the ships do not anchor on Goan shores, but drop anchor one or two nautical miles from land so that the guests can enjoy the scenery and coastline from afar, before beginning the return trip or trip to another location.

He admitted that in the past, with the help of the staff on board the cruise ships, he has delivered “parcels” to guests on board. ALSO READ: Aryan Khan doing drugs for last 4 years, was in touch with several peddlers

“I collect the parcel from one of the boys who work for the boss. It is always well wrapped and sealed and we never dare open it. We do not know which drugs are inside, but we know there is contraband inside the parcel, because we are paid Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 for the job. Nobody would pay this kind of money if they packed Goan cashews or Feni or sausages or steak. It’s obviously drugs,” Francis explains. ALSO READ: Aryan Khan was negotiating bulk purchase of drugs on WhatsApp

Using a hired local fisherman’s motor powered boat, the boys disguised as fishermen, approach the cruise ship and the parcel, wrapped in waterproof packaging is flung aboard, to be collected by the on-board crew and handed over to the guest. The entire delivery process is well-coordinated and everyone knows his job, Francis explains, adding that the boss or one of his ‘generals’ monitors the entire process. ALSO READ: Aryan Khan refused bail, sent to NCB custody till October 7, more arrests expected

“I have done several drops over the last 3 years. We do not know what’s inside the parcel, but it’s anybodys guess. At times, the delivery is on land and the customer either comes himself or sends someone. He gives a pre-decided currency note, with a particular serial no (a double-sided photograph of the note is sent to us in advance by the ‘general’) and we collect the note and hand over the parcel. When we in turn hand over the note to the ‘general’, we get our payment or delivery charges. The general in turn hands over the currency note to another person and collects the payment for the parcel. We are not involved in the product and its cost. We merely courier, like a courier agency that collects parcels and sends them across the country via their operator network,” Francis explains, saying he earns about Rs 25 to Rs 45,000 a month doing deliveries. ALSO READ: More arrests expected as peddlers from Siolim, Anjuna, Arpora and Calangute on NCB radar

During the peak tourism months of December and January in a good season, a courier makes about Rs 2 lakh a month, Francis says, revealing that in December 2018, he did nearly 7 to 10 deliveries every day.

Coming back to his scheduled, but-now-canceled delivery to the cruise ship, he says he would have earned 5000 to 7000. He rubbished the statement of the cruise ship management of the Cordelia The Empress, which claimed that no employee or crew member was involved. Most of the crew members know everything, they just play dumb. Are you saying that crew members of the cruise ship Cordelia The Empress didn’t know that several guests were carrying drugs hidden in their baggage. The crew also supply drugs at times, when stock runs short during on-board parties, charging triple the rates for “maal” that would have otherwise cost on land, Francis reveals.

We later learnt that Francis too occasionally consumes charas and ganja and couriers drugs to pay for his own drug habit. He also supplies small quantities of cannabis to foreign tourists during the peak tourism months, sometimes doubling up as an unofficial guide. He was earlier driving a tourist taxi, but his drug habit got him into trouble behind the wheel and he started doing deliveries to earn money.