SRINAGAR: In a significant development, the court in north Kashmir’s Kupwara has handed down its first conviction since the establishment of the anti-narcotics task force (ANTF) in 2020, reported The Hindustan Times.
On Friday, two drug peddlers, Mohammad Shafi Lone and Bilal Ahmad Dar, both residents of Sopore in Baramulla district, were sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined ₹1 lakh each.
The judgment was delivered by the court of additional district and sessions judge Khem Raj Sharma. The convictions stem from an incident that took place over two years ago when the ANTF intercepted their vehicle on December 10, 2020, on National Highway at Dragmulla in Kupwara. During the interception, the ANTF discovered 435 gm and 372 gm of commercial quantity heroin (manufactured drugs) in possession of Mohammad Shafi Lone and Bilal Ahmad Dar, respectively.
Additionally, both convicts were fined ₹1 lakh each. The judgment stated that failure to pay the fine would result in an additional sentence of rigorous imprisonment for 2.5 years.
The ANTF was established on May 14, 2020, following orders from the home department with the aim of combating drug smuggling in Jammu and Kashmir. Under the supervision of the IGP Crime, two police stations were created, one in Jammu and one in Kashmir divisions, operating under the ANTF. The first case to be prosecuted in court was FIR No 45/2020, as confirmed by additional public prosecutor Dar Rasheed.
The completion of the trial within two years and the subsequent conviction in this case is expected to serve as a deterrent to potential criminals. Dar Rasheed stated, “The conviction in the case will act as a deterrent for the potential criminals as the trial was completed within two years. The drug mafia has a mindset that cases get acquitted after long trials.”
The conviction was announced by the additional district and sessions judge, Kupwara, on May 24, following the chargesheeting of the case on May 25, 2021. The court order, as per The Hindustan Times stated, “The prosecution has succeeded in proving its case against the accused persons… the accused persons are held guilty and are convicted for the offense under Section 21 (c) of the NDPS Act.”
During the period from January 31 to May 31 this year, the police in Baramulla have booked 214 individuals, including notorious drug dealers. A total of 144 cases have been registered under the NDPS Act in various police stations across the district. Senior superintendent of police Amod Nagpure disclosed that 194 drug smugglers, including 25 most-wanted individuals, were apprehended under the NDPS Act. Furthermore, 23 habitual drug peddlers were booked under the PIT-NDPS/PSA. The police have also seized contraband substances worth ₹7 crore and recovered 2.6 kg of brown sugar, 2.4 kg of heroin, 8.0 kg of charas, 69.82 kg of poppy straw, cannabis, ₹43.19 lakh in cash, and 15 vehicles.
Given their proximity to the Line of Control (LoC), the villages of Baramulla and Kupwara have been exploited by drug dealers for smuggling drugs across the border. Civil society chairman Engineer Tariq Mughloo emphasized that the drug menace has become a major issue, wreaking havoc on the lives of many young people, The Hindustan Times reported.
