Ahmedabad: A special NDPS court on Saturday sentenced a resident of Dariapur, Mohammed Shahid Qureshi, to eight years’ imprisonment after he was found guilty of possessing mephedrone.The court, however, acquitted another accused, Imrankhan Pathan, as no evidence of his involvement was found. Qureshi and Pathan were arrested from Bhadra area in Sep 2023 by the Karanj police on charges of possessing 41g of mephedrone. They were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. A trial took place against the duo, and additional public prosecutor D M Thakor examined 12 witnesses and presented 33 pieces of documentary evidence before the court to establish the guilt of the accused. After finding Qureshi guilty and awarding him the jail term and imposing a Rs 1 lakh fine to set an example for carrying contraband like mephedrone, special NDPS judge V B Rajput said, “In the present time, drug trafficking is a very serious and challenging issue. Many families are destroyed because of such an accused who is running drug rackets. Teenagers going to school and college ruin their youth due to addiction to such substances. In this way, the youth of the country is being ruined.”
