3 men get jail terms in heroin supply case

A Delhi court has awarded 15 years rigorous jail term to a drug dealer for abetting supply of 35 kgs of heroin through two persons, observing that in such cases main peddlers go scot-free and the conduit used by them "who are invariably poor people, get caught".
Special NDPS Judge A K Kuhar handed down the 15-year jail term to Gurnam Singh and 10 years each to two other convicts Tejveer Singh and Rajesh Chauhan, who had gone to supply heroin at a railway station here on the instruction of Gurnam.
"It is generally noticed that in such cases where drugs are supplied to consumers, the main drug peddlers go scot-free and the conduit used by such peddlers, who are invariably poor people, get caught," the judge said.

The court which also imposed fine of Rs 1.5 lakh on Punjab native Gurnam, refused to take a lenient view towards him, saying, "He is the person who engaged them (Tejveer and Rajesh) in procuring and supply of the narcotic drug.
"He has a background of indulging himself in such activities earlier also. He is the person, who got other two convicts involved in the present transaction. Therefore, a lenient view qua him will not be justified."
The court also imposed fines of Rs two lakh each on UP resident Tejveer and Haryana native Rajesh, for posessing the substance and being a part of the conspiracy under various provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

"Prosecution has established the case against Gurnam Singh for abetting and also being party to a criminal conspiracy for dealing in the supply of narcotic substance, though he was not found in possession of any substance," the court said while convicting him.

According to the prosecution, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) got a tip off that Rajesh and Tejveer would supply heroin to a person on July 2, 2006 at a railway station near Badarpur here.
The duo was apprehended by a raiding team with two bags containing 35 kg heroin, which they claimed to have procured on the instruction of Gurnam, who is a already a convict in a separate NDPS case, it said.

All the three convicts had sought leniency from the court on the ground that they have poor family background and may be given a chance to reform themselves.