KARACHI: A Special Court (Control of Narcotics Substances) has sentenced a man to seven years in prison in a case pertaining to trafficking over four kilogramme of charas.

Special Court Judge Kamran Atta Soomro found Ali Khan, who appeared on bail in the court, guilty of possessing a total 4.6 kilogram of the drug, which was recovered from him by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in a raid near Data Darbar Hotel, Murtaza Chowangi, on May 23, 2020.

“It is inferred that the prosecution has successfully proved the charge against accused Ali Khan beyond reasonable doubt… [and] he is sentenced to suffer rigorous imprisonment for seven years and six months,” the court ruled.

It also imposed a fine of Rs35,000. On default, the convict would serve additional imprisonment of more than six months.

According to state prosecutor Rizwan Ali, the ANF team received information that a drug peddler would come near Data Darbar Hotel, Murtaza Chowrangi, in the early morning to deliver narcotics substance to his customer. Acting on the tip-off, the ANF team raided the location and apprehended the accused and recovered 1200 gramme of two packets and 1,100 gramme of as many packets from the accused.

During the arguments, the defence counsel contended that the ANF had implicated his client in a bogus case with mala fide intentions.

He also argued that the complainant and investigating officer were the same person in the case. But the court rejected the defence plea, observing that the accused had failed to bring any iota of evidence to establish any mala fide or enmity on the part of the ANF.

The court also noted that although the accused in his recorded statement claimed that he had been picked up from a different location, he failed to produce any substantial evidence in support of his claim.

The court also noted that the accused’s plea appeared inconsistent. On one hand, he claimed that he could not reach his house in time on May 22, 2020, which led his brother to send an application to the SHO of Ittehad Town police station via courier, it added.

Neither the accused clarified when exactly he reached home on May 22, nor did he specify when his brother sent the application to the SHO concerned. The courier’s delivery receipt produced also did not reflect the time of dispatch.

The accused had also submitted an OPD slip from Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, which showed that he visited the hospital at 12:43am on May 23, 2020. But the slip did not bear the signature or seal of any doctor or relevant authority.

The court also noted that the time of arrest of the accused was officially recorded as 8:15am on May 23, 2020.

A case was registered at ANF MACHS, Korangi station under Section 6, 9, (C) of the CNS Act, 1997.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2025