Bhubaneswar, Feb 13 (IANS) A Special NDPS Court in Bhubaneswar has sentenced two drug traffickers to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh each, an official said on Friday.

Mangal Ram Mahato and Kumar Dili, both residents of Dhanbad, were sentenced by the court of the 3rd Additional District and Sessions Judge, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, an official of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Bhubaneswar Zonal Unit, said.

The convicts were sentenced under Sections 20(b), 25 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The case dates back to May 28, 2023, when officers of the NCB apprehended the two accused in possession of 273.8 kg of ganja at Rasulgarh Chowk in Bhubaneswar, according to an official statement.

Subsequent investigation revealed the accused’s involvement in an inter-state smuggling racket, wherein the ganja was concealed in a specially made cavity in the driver’s cabin of a truck, it said.

Both the accused were charge-sheeted in November 2023. The truck used for transportation of the contraband was also seized.

Meanwhile, the NCB on Thursday said it had secured the conviction of two drug traffickers in a 2023 Ahmedabad Alprazolam trafficking case.

A Special NDPS Court in Ahmedabad City sentenced Govind Suryavanshi Chamar, a resident of Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, and Shaikh Mohammad Idrish, a resident of Ahmedabad, to nine years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh each.

The case pertains to the seizure of 91 grams of Alprazolam at Kalupur Railway Station in Ahmedabad in May 2023, which led to the arrest of the two traffickers.

The convictions underscore the NCB’s commitment to dismantling organised drug trafficking networks operating across state boundaries. The Bureau remains steadfast in its mission to curb the menace of narcotics and protect society from the harms of drug abuse, the statement said.

To combat drug trafficking, the NCB has sought the support of citizens. Information related to the sale of narcotics can be shared by calling the MANAS National Narcotics Helpline toll-free number 1933. The identity of the informer will be kept confidential, it added.

–IANS

rch/pgh