5 days ago
Mumbai Court Gives Six Accused 20 Years In Mephedrone Case
A Mumbai court found six people guilty of making an illegal drug called mephedrone.
The drug-making operation was discovered in a flat in Oshiwara in 2015.
Police found finished drugs, partly made drugs, and chemicals there.
The six people were each sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined.
Prosecutors said two of them might deserve an even stronger punishment because of other cases.
The court did not apply that extra punishment.
Lawyers and families asked for shorter sentences, but the court refused.
It said drug trafficking harms many people, especially young people, and is not an offence deserving sympathy.
A special NDPS court sentenced six accused to 20 years in prison for manufacturing mephedrone in Oshiwara in 2015.
Anti-Terrorism Squad officers recovered 150 kilograms of finished and unfinished mephedrone and chemicals from the operation.
The court said the accused had presented the facility as a medicine-making factory and used laboratory testing in Gujarat.
The prosecution sought enhanced punishment for Sajid Electricwala and Bhanudas More under Section 31 of the NDPS Act.
The court rejected leniency requests, citing the broad social harm caused by drug trafficking.
- Who
- Six accused—Sachin Dilip Bagul, Sajid Yusuf Electricwala, Chandrakant Krushna Katade, Rahul Ramesh Salunke, Ayub Tafsir Khan alias Lala, and Bhanudas More alias Bhavesh Patel—were convicted.
- What
- They were sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined for manufacturing mephedrone.
- Where
- A flat in Ekdant Building, Oshiwara, Mumbai.
- When
- The manufacturing operation was discovered on June 29, 2015; the sentencing was reported on August 27, 2026.
- Why
- The court found that the accused had deliberately organized and operated an illegal mephedrone manufacturing unit.
Prosecution and Court
Defence and Families
Length of punishment
Prosecution and Court
The prosecution sought enhanced punishment for Electricwala and More, citing other alleged drug-manufacturing cases. The court nevertheless imposed the minimum punishment it considered applicable.
Defence and Families
Defence lawyers, the accused, and family members asked for leniency and shorter sentences, noting that some accused were young and had small children.
Seriousness of the offence
Prosecution and Court
The court said drug trafficking affects the public at large and cannot be viewed leniently, emphasizing the operation’s planned nature and its potential effect on young people.
Defence and Families
The defence emphasized the personal circumstances of the accused and their families while seeking reduced punishment.
Key facts
- Sentence
- Twenty years’ imprisonment and a hefty fine for each of six accused.
- Drug involved
- Mephedrone, also called MD in the article.
- Recovered material
- 25.50 kg of finished mephedrone, 25 kg of unfinished mephedrone, and 100 litres of chemicals were recovered from the flat.
- Initial seizure
- ATS officers found Sachin Dilip Bagul with 1 kg of mephedrone near Hotel Shreeji, Oshiwara.
- Court
- Special NDPS court presided over by Judge Shudhirkumar Murlidharrao Bukke.
- Prosecution request
- The prosecution sought enhanced punishment under Section 31 of the NDPS Act for Sajid Electricwala and Bhanudas More.
- Financial role
- The court said Ayub Tafsir Khan alias Lala provided more than ₹69 lakh to support training and factory setup.
Quotes
Special NDPS court
The court explaining why it would not grant the convicted accused leniency
“if he had not provided such a huge amount of money, more than 69 lakhs as duly proved by the prosecution, no such manufacturing process would have taken place. He is the backbone of the crime because without financial support no such offence can take place”
freepressjournal.in
“if you have kids, there are small kids out there also, all the colleges are suffering from the drug trafficking. The accused have not committed an offence that can be viewed leniently.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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