Crime: Samdrupjongkhar court convicted 28-year-old Chandra Kumar Bahtaria from Phuntshothang to a non-compoundable prison term of four years and ten months on August 1 for illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

The term is excluding one month and 28 days he served in detention.

Chandra Kumar Bahtaria was arrested on May 2 after his brother complained to the police that his brother was carrying Nitrosun 10 and SPM-PRX, which he had bought from Borobesa in India. Police found Chandra Kumar Bahtaria in possession of 14 spoons of SPM-PRX and 32 pieces of Nitrosun 10.

According to the verdict, Chandra Kumar Bahtaria had contravened section 139 (2) of the Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act of Bhutan 2015. A defendant shall be guilty of the offence of illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances if he or she posses, imports, exports, stores, sell, purchases, transports, distributes, or supplies narcotic drugs.

Chandra Kumar Bahtaria told the court that he wasn’t trying to smuggle in the drugs and confessed the drugs were bought for his self-consumption.

According to the verdict, Chandra Kumar Bahtaria was found with more than the permissible (10 pieces of SPM-PRX and 14 pieces of Nitrosun 10) amount of drugs.

Yangchen C Rinzin |  Samdrupjongkhar