PESHAWAR: A special anti-narcotics court on Friday convicted four people for drug smuggling and awarded life imprisonment and Rs100,000 fine to three of them and two-year rigorous imprisonment and Rs30,000 fine to the fourth one. Accused Musa Alam was acquitted for lack of evidence.

Judge Nusrat Yasmeen Intekhab ruled that the prosecution had proved charge against the accused, including Mubarikdin, Shafique Jan, Mohammad Haris and Abdul Wajid, while the evidence on record connected them with the commission of the offence.

An Anti-Narcotics Force team had seized 11kg charas, six kilogrammes opium and 15.3kg heroin from three vehicles used by the accused.

Besides convicting four accused, the judge also declared an absconding accused, Khan Afzal, a proclaimed offender and issued perpetual warrants for his arrest. He ordered the confiscation of the three vehicles used for the attempted drug smuggling.

The case against the accused was registered by the ANF at its Peshawar police station on Aug 11, 2016. The ANF claimed that on a tip-off, it’d stopped a vehicle bound for Punjab near Kacha Garhi area and seized 11kg charas and six kilogrammes opium and arrested driver Mubarikdin. It had later recovered 1.5kg heroin from a vehicle and 13.8kg heroin from another and arrested Shafiq Jan, Mohammad Haris and Abdul Wajid.

Musa Alam was held after the accused claimed that the seized drugs belonged to him.

All accused were charged under Section 9 of the Control of Narcotics Substance Act.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2018