Driver gets 10 years RI in 790-kg poppy straw case; court orders SIT to trace drug network

17/07/2026

JAMMU, Jul 16: A Special Court under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has sentenced a Baramulla-based truck driver to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment for transporting 790 kilograms of poppy straw and directed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to identify the source, supplier and intended destination of the contraband.
Special Judge (NDPS Cases) Parvaiz Iqbal convicted Syed Tasadaq Hussain, son of Syed Jumma Shah, a resident of Bijhama in Boniyar tehsil of Baramulla district, under Sections 8 and 15 of the NDPS Act.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs. 1 lakh on the convict. In default of payment, he will undergo an additional six months of rigorous imprisonment. The period already spent in custody will be set off against the sentence.
According to the prosecution, Police Station Bagh-e-Bahu received specific information on October 11, 2019, that a truck bearing registration number JK05B-7138 was carrying a large quantity of poppy straw from Kashmir towards Jammu.
Acting on the information, a police team established a checkpoint near Environmental Park on the Jammu bypass. The truck was intercepted in the presence of an Executive Magistrate and subjected to a detailed search.
Though the vehicle appeared to be carrying white stones and clay, police recovered 32 sacks of poppy straw concealed beneath the load. The contraband weighed 790 kilograms, and samples drawn from each sack were later confirmed by the Forensic Science Laboratory to be poppy straw containing morphine.
Holding that the prosecution had established the recovery and conscious possession of a commercial quantity of narcotics beyond reasonable doubt, the court convicted the accused.
During the hearing on sentence, Special Public Prosecutor Sunil Kumar sought a stringent punishment, arguing that the huge quantity of contraband indicated organised drug trafficking and warranted a strong deterrent message.
Defence counsel Anil Sethi pleaded for leniency, submitting that Hussain was only a driver, had no previous criminal record, was the sole breadwinner of his family and had remained in custody for over six years.
While awarding the statutory minimum sentence, the court took note of the convict's clean antecedents, age and the possibility of reformation.
In a significant direction, the court expressed concern over the failure of the investigation to identify the source and intended destination of the 790-kg consignment.
Observing that such omissions allow the main perpetrators of the drug trade to evade the law, the court directed the SSP, Jammu, to hold an inquiry into the role of the investigating officer.
The court further ordered the constitution of an SIT headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police to conduct further investigation under Section 173(8) of the Code of Criminal Procedure to identify the source, supplier and intended recipient of the contraband.
The SSP has been directed to personally supervise the investigation and keep the court informed of significant developments. Copies of the order have also been forwarded to the Inspector General of Police, Jammu, and the SSP, Jammu, for compliance.
The court ordered that the convict be lodged in the District Jail, Baramulla, to serve the remainder of his sentence.
It also directed that the seized contraband be destroyed after two months, subject to any order of the appellate court if an appeal is filed. The truck was ordered to be released to its registered owner after the court found no evidence of his knowledge or involvement in the offence.

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