AN INDIAN drug dealer has been sentenced to 10 years in jail in addition to a BD5,000 fine after being found guilty of selling hashish in May this year.
The 34-year-old will also face deportation upon the completion of his sentence, the High Criminal Court ruled.
The GDN previously reported that the defendant had denied the charges of possession with intent to distribute. However, he was caught selling drugs to a police informant during a sting operation.
“Information was received by detectives that implicated the defendant in drug dealing and possession with intent to distribute,” read the court ruling. “Once the detectives verified his identity and information a sting operation was set up and a confidential informant was assigned to arrange buying BD200 worth of hashish from the defendant.
“They agreed to meet at Exhibition Road and once the exchange occurred the defendant was arrested with the cash and an additional 20gm of hashish in his pocket.
“Although the 34-year-old denied having knowledge of the narcotics he was caught red-handed selling the substance.
“He claimed that he was delivering the cigarette box to the secret source on behalf of an unidentified man in exchange for BD5 but that was determined to be false information.”
The court ruling also revealed that after searching the defendant the marked BD200 wad of notes used for the sting operation was found in his pocket.
The court determined that the evidence against the 34-year-old was iron-clad and sentenced him to 10 years in jail and a BD5,000 fine. He will be deported upon the completion of his sentence.
In his defence, his lawyer claimed that since the man’s urine had tested negative for narcotics the evidence against him was not conclusive.
“The absence of drugs in a defendant’s system is only an indication that he wasn’t using at the time and it isn’t enough to demand acquittal in a case with additional evidence,” the court ruling added.
“He implicated himself in this crime by arranging the meeting place and time for the sale, so the evidence is solid against him.”
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