POONCH, OCT 7: In a major judicial setback for a narcotics trafficking network operating in the border belt, a Poonch court has sentenced three convicted heroin traffickers to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment each, besides imposing a fine of ₹1.50 lakh on each, in a case involving the seizure of nearly four kilograms of heroin from the Balakote sector.
The Court of the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Poonch, Sh. Susheel Singh, pronounced the sentence after holding Sherbaz Ahmed of Gulathi, Manjakote, Rajouri; Anzar Ahmed of Dharati, Mendhar, Poonch; and Rafiq Azam of Kalar Mohra, Mendhar, Poonch, guilty under Section 8/21(c) of the NDPS Act.
The case, registered as FIR Number 56/2022 at Police Station Mendhar, dates back to police action in the Balakote sector in which the three accused were apprehended and approximately four kilograms of heroin was recovered. The seized contraband fell within the commercial quantity category under the NDPS Act, attracting stringent punishment provisions.
The prosecution case was built around the recovery, investigation and evidence establishing the involvement of the accused. The investigation was carried out under the supervision of then SSP Poonch Rohit Bastotra, while then SDPO Mendhar DySP Sheezan Bhat conducted the investigation and pursued the evidentiary trail leading to prosecution.
The court convicted all three accused on October 6, 2026. During the sentencing proceedings held on October 7, Public Prosecutor Pankaj Sethi, representing the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, urged the court to impose stringent punishment, stressing the seriousness of narcotics offences and the commercial quantity of heroin involved.
After examining the evidence, prosecution submissions and circumstances of the case, the court awarded 15 years’ rigorous imprisonment to each of the three convicts and directed each to pay a ₹1.50 lakh fine.
The verdict represents a significant culmination of a four-year-old narcotics prosecution and underscores the importance of sustained investigation, proper documentation of evidence and effective courtroom prosecution in securing convictions under the stringent NDPS framework.
With nearly four kilograms of heroin involved, the case also highlights the continuing challenge posed by the movement of commercial quantities of narcotics through the sensitive border areas of the Pir Panjal region, where enforcement agencies have been intensifying action against trafficking networks.
