Ganja smuggler gets 20 yrs in jail

Coimbatore: A special court under the Essential Commodities Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act here on Friday sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for smuggling 200kg of ganja in June 2020. The court slapped a fine of 4 lakh on him.During a vehicle check on Thudiyalur-Vellakinar Road on June 10, 2020, police found 200kg of ganja in a truck and arrested P Parthasarathi, 33, of Bethaniyapuram in Madurai district. Narcotics Intelligence Bureau-CID officials seized the contraband items. Parthasarathi was lodged at Coimbatore central prison. The trial of the case started in 2021 after police filed a chargesheet before the special court. Special public prosecutor V Sivakumar presented evidence against the culprit. Judge N Logeswaran concluded that the accused was guilty and awarded 20 years of rigorous imprisonment to him under sections 8 (c) read with 20 (b) (ii) (c) of the NDPS Act and another 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 25 of the same act. The court also ordered that the sentences are to run concurrently.