NCB Mumbai secures conviction in inter-state drug trafficking case, two get 10 years jail

Mumbai, Sep 9 (IANS) In a significant blow to an inter-state drug trafficking network, the NDPS Special Court in Biloli, Maharashtra’s Nanded district, has convicted two traffickers and sentenced them to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh each in a case involving the seizure of 1,127 kg of ganja, a statement of the NCB said on Wednesday.

The convicts, identified as Gokul Narayan Rajput (32), a truck owner-driver from Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district, and Sunil Yadav Mahajan (35), a co-driver from Jalgaon district, were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Mumbai Zonal Unit on November 15, 2021, while transporting a large consignment of the contraband.

Acting on specific intelligence, an NCB team intercepted an Ashok Leyland truck at Manjram village in Nanded district. During a search, officers recovered 49 polythene gunny bags concealed beneath a load of industrial iron rods. The bags contained 112 packets of ganja weighing a total of 1,127 kg.

According to the NCB, the investigation revealed that the contraband had been loaded at Ankampalli in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district and was being transported to Jalgaon district in Maharashtra.

Probe findings also showed that Rajput had previously been booked in criminal cases related to attempted murder and kidnapping. The truck used for transporting the narcotics, which was owned by Rajput, had already been blacklisted by the Regional Transport Office (RTO), but continued to be used for illegal transportation activities, investigators said.

During the trial, the prosecution established that both accused were in conscious possession of a commercial quantity of ganja and failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for its possession.

The Additional Sessions Judge, Biloli, found both accused guilty under various provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and sentenced them to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh each. The court also ordered confiscation of the seized truck.

The NCB said the conviction underscores its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks through effective investigation and prosecution, contributing to the goal of a drug-free India.

–IANS

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