Nigerian held guilty in heroin smuggling case

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 17

A local court has found a Nigerian guilty in a drug smuggling case. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on December 20.

According to the prosecution, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had registered a case under Sections 8, 21 and 29 of the NDPS Act against Eze Uchenna James and Raphel Emeka, both Nigerians, on June 7, 2017.

The investigating officer had received information that Eze Uchenna James (40), a heroin smuggler, would deliver 400 gm of the contraband in Sector 17 on June 7, 2017.

A team of the NCB reached Sector 17 and saw a Nigerian carrying a brown bag. The team apprehended him. When questioned, Eze revealed that he brought heroin from New Delhi and that it was to be handed over to a person named Happy Singh.

The team recovered 415 gm of heroin from him. He told the NCB that he got in touch with Raphel, a heroin seller. He stated that Raphel had given him heroin for selling it to Happy Singh in Chandigarh. However, on May 22, 2017, he came to know that Raphel had been arrested and was lodged in a jail at Hisar in Haryana.

Kailash Chander, Special Public Prosecutor, NCB, said James confessed to the NCB that he got heroin from Raphel, but the latter was traced to the Hisar jail. There was no contact between the two from May 17 to June 7, 2017.

“There was no recovery from Raphel and the NCB failed to establish any connection between the two with regard to the heroin seizure. Giving Raphel the benefit of doubt, he was acquitted of the charges. However, Eze was found guilty in the case,” he said.