Calangute: Calangute police launched a special drive against touts in Calangute and Baga on Tuesday evening, arresting 13 persons and imposing a fine of Rs 5,000 each under the Tourist Trade (Prevention of Unlawful Activities) Act. The action comes after two viral videos surfaced showing drugs being sold openly on Calangute beach and a Russian woman looking for customers in Tito Lane, Baga.Police said the operation will continue until all tout activities are curbed to maintain order and protect Goa’s tourism image.However, stakeholders questioned the effectiveness of the action. “Everyone in Calangute knows that there are pimps, and prostitution and massage parlors are running through them. Whenever something happens and news comes, the police come, pick up some people, impose fines and no major action is taken. And because no action has been taken, the issue continues to grow,” said Manuel Cardozo, president of the traditional hut owners association in Calangute.Former Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes alleged that sex and drug rackets were driven by political support. “If you go late at night, you see Kenyan and other foreign women soliciting in Calangute. Why is this happening only in Calangute? If they can stop weddings happening in Goa at 10 pm, why can’t they stop this?” Fernandes further claimed that politicians were being given a ‘week’. “Without political support, these things cannot happen. Because politicians get a ‘week’, the police do nothing. It’s all shared and it goes up to the highest level. Drugs and prostitution rackets have become institutionalized,” he said.