Man carrying 162 kgs of poppy straw sentenced to 10-yr jail

Special judge M K Nagpal also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh on 31-year-old Jagjeet Singh, who was convicted under various sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

"The accused (Singh) has been held guilty and convicted for possessing and transporting 162 kgs of poppy straw in a vehicle...Driven by him and for also being part of a criminal conspiracy to deal in contraband substances.

"The above quantity of poppy straw is a huge quantity of the contraband substance as quantity of 50 kg of poppy straw has been prescribed to be a commercial quantity of contraband substance under the NDPS Act," the judge said.

Holding Singh guilty under Sections 15(c), 25 and 29 of the NDPS Act, the judge said the charges have been proved against Singh and it carries a jail term of not "less than 10 years, which can be extended upto 20 years".

Singh was arrested in December, 2009 by the Delhi Police while they were checking vehicles coming into the capital from Haryana through Badarpur border here.

Police had managed to apprehend Singh who was driving the car carrying the contraband, the prosecution said, adding that two others in the car managed to flee.

The court had later declared the duo as proclaimed offenders.

Seeking leniency, Singh's counsel said his client had to look after his wife, minor daughter and son, besides his old parents.

The court, however, convicted Singh saying the police has proved its case against him.

"The possession of the contraband substance by Singh and the transportation by him in the vehicle is also successfully proved on record and it further amounts to inter-state import of the huge quantity of the contraband substance in the state of Delhi," the judge observed.