42-year-old man sentenced to 5 years rigorous imprisonment in NDPS case in Mangaluru

The incident had occurred on March 8, 2009, at Rathabeedi in Ujire, Belthangady, where the accused was found attempting to sell 1.500 kg of ganja valued at Rs 50,000 approximately.

Mangaluru: The Principal District and Sessions Court in Mangaluru has sentenced a man to six years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 for possession of narcotic substances.

The judgment was delivered by Principal District and Sessions Judge Justice Basavaraj, who convicted the accused, TE Joseph (42), of Charmadi village in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district.

The court ordered that in case of failure to pay the fine, the accused would undergo an additional two months of rigorous imprisonment.

The incident had taken place on March 8, 2009, when Belthangady Police Sub-Inspector Praveen GN received credible information that a person was illegally selling ganja to the public in the Ujire area.

Acting on the information, a police team conducted a raid near Rathabeedi in front of the Shri Janardhana Swamy Temple in Ujire village.

During the operation, the police recovred 1.5 kilograms of ganja from his possession. A case was registered at Belthangady Police Station under Sections 8(c) and 20(b) of the NDPS Act.

The seized narcotic substance was sent to the forensic laboratory for examination, and after completing the investigation, Sub-Inspector BG Sulmapura Math filed a chargesheet before the court.

The accused had absconded for nearly 17 years, leading the court to declare him an absconding accused and register the case.

During the trial, Public Prosecutor Judith Crasta examined nine witnesses and produced 16 documents as evidence. The court pronounced the accused guilty under Sections 8(c) and 20(b)(ii)(B) of the NDPS Act on April 10 and announced the quantum of sentence on April 16.

Court records also revealed that the accused had previously been convicted in a similar ganja possession case and had served five years of imprisonment in Shivamogga Jail, making this the second conviction against him for narcotics-related offences.