Man caught selling drugs to students jailed for seven years

A model court on Monday sentenced a man to seven years in prison for selling drugs near a school in the Paposh Nagar area.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Liaquat Ali Khoso of the Model Trial Court (Central) found Abdullah alias Kala guilty of possessing over one kilograms of hashish that he allegedly wanted to sell to students of a private school in March last year.

The judge pronounced his verdict after recording evidence and final arguments from defence and prosecution sides. He handed down seven-year imprisonment to the convict and also imposed a Rs100,000 on him. In case of default, he would have to serve out additional imprisonment of 15 days.

The convict, who was out on bail, was subsequently taken into custody and sent to the prison to serve his sentence. “It is a harsh fact that drug business is an organised crime, and private persons are not inclined to be prey of the drug barons and drug tycoons and put themselves and their families in any danger of life and property; hence, common people are reluctant to be in support of police in narcotics and other organised crimes,” the judge noted, rejecting the defence side’s argument that no private individual was produced as witness in the case.

He was of the view that police officers are good witnesses as private ones and ruled that the prosecution successfully proved its case against the accused beyond any shadow of doubt. The defence counsel contended that there were contradictions in the evidence of the prosecution, which doesn’t merit conviction. He said his client was not a habitual offender as no CRO was available.

The state prosecutor, however, argued that the prosecution has discharged its liability to prove the case against the accused, who was found with drugs near Ishaatul Quran School Ground. He said the drug menace was creating a sense of fear in society, particularly among the youngsters and schoolchildren; therefore, the accused deserved no leniency. The court was pleaded to punish the accused according to the law. An FIR was registered at the Paposh Nagar police station under Section 6/9-C of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997.