The special NDPS court has convicted two men in separate cases, sentencing them to ten years of imprisonment for possessing narcotic substances in commercial quantities. They have also been fined Rs1 lakh each.
In the first case, the special court found Chembur resident Saif Chaudhary guilty of possessing Mephedrone in January 2022. The market value of the consignment was Rs18 lakhs at the time of seizure.
According to the prosecution, on January 23, 2022, acting on a tip-off about drug trafficking, the police had kept a watch near the Jijamata Nagar Bus Stop in Mahul. Around 2pm, the team apprehended Chaudhary with a black plastic bag and recovered 120 grams of Mephedrone.
Special public prosecutor SS Panjwani examined seven witnesses to prove the case. The court accepted the testimony of the witnesses and held, “The accused was in conscious possession of the contraband, established through direct and circumstantial evidence.”
In another case, Arif Shaikh, 49, was apprehended by the Narcotics Control Bureau on September 8, 2021. The police had received information about Shaikh’s involvement in trafficking the banned substance Mephedrone. A trap was laid, and Shaikh was caught with 52.3 grams of Mephedrone.
Public prosecutor Geeta Nayyar examined nine witnesses to prove that Shaikh was in possession of a large quantity of the banned drug, which he was likely to distribute further.
The court accepted the prosecution’s case and held that the accused had admitted to possessing the narcotic substance during his search, in the presence of independent witnesses. The court also noted that his admission was corroborated by other evidence, which was sufficient to prove the guilt of the accused.
