Man jailed for 15 years for possessing drugs

A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for possessing 275 grams of heroin by a Delhi court which also slapped a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh on him while noting that enhanced punishment was being awarded as he had been convicted earlier for a similar crime.
Special NDPS Judge Shail Jain awarded the jail term to Mohammed Rizauddin, a resident of Narela, after convicting him under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The court said the prosecution has proved the case beyond reasonable doubt against the man.
"Convict Mohd Rizauddin was found in conscious possession of 275 grams of heroin, which is commercial quantity, coupled with the fact that the convict has already been convicted in another case and was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for three months and 15 days, the provisions of NDPS Act are therefore attracted, which provides for enhanced punishment for offences after previous conviction," the judge said.

According to the prosecution, Rizauddin was found possessing the banned substance on July 24, 2012 in central Delhi.
He was arrested by cops on a tip off that a man was involved in supply of large quantity of heroin in Delhi. A raid was conducted and he was caught carrying drugs, it said.

During the trial, Rizauddin had claimed that he was falsely implicated in the case.
He had also sought leniency in sentence, saying that he was the sole bread earner of his family also comprising two kids and has been in judicial custody for more than two years.

The prosecutor had sought severe punishment for the convict, saying that such kinds of offence are on the rise in the society and that the man was held guilty previously for a similar offence.