Krishnanagar, Jan. 31: An additional district judge’s court in Krishnanagar has sentenced nine individuals to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for trafficking contraband drugs, including heroin and acetic anhydride, a chemical compound, that occurred two years ago.
Each convict found to be associated with an interstate narcotic smuggling racket, has also been fined ₹1 lakh in connection with a 2022 drug smuggling case in Nadia’s Nakashipara.
The case dates back to May 15, 2022, when a team from the Special Task Force (STF) of the Anti-Narcotic Force conducted a raid in Bamandanga, under Nakashipara Police Station, when officers intercepted four vehicles, including a container truck from Uttar Pradesh.
A thorough search led to the seizure of 49 kg of heroin and 387 kg of acetic anhydride, a precursor chemical, with an estimated market value of about ₹100 crores.
Additionally, ₹3.5 lakh in cash was recovered from the suspects. Nine individuals aboard the vehicles were arrested, and a case was subsequently registered based on a complaint lodged by STF Sub-Inspector Subhamay Ghosh under different sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
Public prosecutor Subedi Sanyal stated, “The trial was conducted before the Learned ADJ 1st Court, Krishnanagar. Witness testimonies were examined, and after the completion of proceedings, all FIR-named accused were found guilty under relevant sections of the NDPS Act. On Friday, the court sentenced each of them to 20 years of imprisonment.”
The convicted individuals are identified as Beltu Mondal, Tausik Ahmed Halsona, Md Sawan, Nazrul Islam Mallick, Pritam Ghosh, Dipu Durlabh, Rahul Das, Asif Ali, and Kalu Mallick.
An STF official remarked, “The convicted persons were part of an inter-state narcotics smuggling racket involved in the procurement, transportation, and sale of contraband across multiple states. This conviction will undoubtedly deal a major blow to their operations.”