Drug peddler gets 10 years, fined Rs 1 lakh

NAGPUR: District and additional sessions judge SD Jagmalani on Thursday sentenced a drug peddler, in his 50s, to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh. He will undergo another year of jail in case of default on fine. The court held Ramesh Gupta guilty under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985.
It is learnt Gupta was arrested by a team of Tehsil police in March in 2004.The cops had found 121 kilograms of ganja in six sacks kept at his residence near Hansapuri Khadan. The cops also seized other materials like weighing equipment, worth around Rs 3.63 lakh.
The prosecution examined seven witnesses in course of the trial. Additional public prosecutor Ram Anwane said the deposition of the investigation officer MR Deokar, now retired, played a crucial role. "The investigation of the officer in the cases registered under the NDPS Act is very crucial. The turning point in this case was the IO's watertight probe, documentation and meticulous collection and collation of evidence," said Anwane.