Indian police detain Israeli for staying without valid travel documents following drug charges
Driham was dubbed an “Israeli drug baron” but was cleared after claiming that police had planted drugs. The arrest is an immigration-related detention rather than an arrest for a new drug offense.
Indian authorities arrested Israeli national David Driham, 51, in Anjuna on Friday for allegedly overstaying in the country without valid travel documents, according to local media reports. The arrest, which came to light on Saturday, is an immigration-related detention, separate from any new drug charges against the individual.
This development occurs amid an ongoing cocaine case from June 2025, along with a 2010 drug case in which Driham was labeled an "Israeli drug baron" but later cleared when he alleged the drugs were planted by the police.
Driham, who reportedly resides in the heart of Goa's tourist district, was unable to present travel documents upon police inquiry on Friday morning. Consequently, he was transferred to a detention center in Mapusa. The latest arrest is not linked to a fresh drug offense, but Driham is already entangled in proceedings stemming from a cocaine case initially opened by India's Narcotics Control Bureau in early June 2025.
Following his initial arrest the next day, he was released on bail the same day, with the magistrate in Mapusa stating he was not provided with a written account of the arrest grounds.
In December 2025, the Narcotics Control Bureau filed a charge sheet against Driham, and on July 15, 2026, he was released under strict conditions, including the surrender of his passport, a ban on leaving India without permission, and a mandate to attend court appearances. Despite the ongoing proceedings, there has been no reported sentence in the case. If these conditions remain in effect, it remains unclear how Driham would have managed to produce a passport, considering his current predicament.
Driham's name has been synonymous with Goa due to a previous incident in February 2010, when Goa Police's Anti-Narcotics Cell apprehended him near his home in Anjuna on suspicion of possessing ecstasy, heroin, cocaine, liquid LSD, and hashish. The investigation later transferred to India's Central Bureau of Investigation, which, in turn, arrested police officers for allegedly planting the drugs.
Charges against Driham were eventually dropped in 2023, with the court ordering the prosecution of the implicated police officers.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
