In a significant verdict underscoring the crackdown on narcotics trafficking, a district court in Andhra Pradesh has handed down ten-year rigorous imprisonment sentences to four individuals convicted in a major cannabis smuggling case dating back to 2015.
Court Delivers Stern Punishment
The IX-additional district judge court in Chodavaram, located in Anakapalle district, pronounced the sentence on Monday. The convicted individuals are Dharavath Ravi (32) from Warangal district in Telangana, and M Narasimha Raju (32), D Phalguna (32), and Bandaru Santhosh (25), all natives of Anakapalle district. Alongside the prison term, the court imposed a substantial fine of Rs one lakh on each of the convicts.
Details of the 2015 Drug Bust
The case originated from a police raid conducted on March 31, 2015. Acting on intelligence, the Cheedikada police carried out an operation near Adavi Agraharam. The police successfully intercepted the gang while they were allegedly making arrangements to transport a large consignment of dry cannabis in a car.
The raid led to the seizure of a substantial 140 kilograms of marijuana. Authorities also confiscated material evidence including two bikes, four mobile phones, and Rs 46,000 in cash from the accused. The investigation that followed revealed that the four men had procured the illicit cannabis from tribal areas with the intention of transporting it to another location for distribution.
Legal Process and Conviction
Following the bust, the Anakapalle district police, under the supervision of police chief Tuhin Sinha, registered a case and conducted a thorough investigation. The accused were charged under the relevant stringent sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. A chargesheet was filed, leading to a full trial in the court.
After evaluating the evidence and concluding the regular trial proceedings, the judge found the four men guilty. The final verdict of a decade-long imprisonment reflects the serious nature of the offence involving commercial quantity of banned narcotics. This conviction is noted as one of the major successes in the ongoing efforts to curb the cannabis trade in the northern regions of Andhra Pradesh.
