While convicting 52-year-old Sete Nepali under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Special Judge Suresh Chand Rajan also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh on him.
"It is manifest that a commercial quantity of charas was recovered from the convict... Having regard of the disastrous effect of the seized charas on the society and the other facts and circumstances of the case, the convict is sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment of 10 years and to pay fine of Rs one lakh...," the court said.
Sete was arrested by Custom Department sleuths in November 2009, days after recovery of a consignment of 8.834 kgs of charas at the IGI Airport here.
The contraband was detected at the courier terminal on November 11, 2009 at IGI Airport here, which was concealed under the cover of Tibetan Religious books to be exported to France, the prosecution had said.
During probe, the courier firm's owner was summoned by them and he disclosed Sete's name, the prosecution said adding the custom sleuths subsequently nabbed him later, when he came again in a truck to book another consignment with the firm.
The counsel for Sete pleaded for leniency for him saying his client was just a delivery boy, earning livelihood by driving truck.
He also contended that Sete was falsely implicated in the case by the custom officer at the instance of the courier firm owner, who himself was indulging in the drug smuggling.
The court, however, rejected Sete's pleas saying the sentence has to be "proportionate to the gravity of the offence."
