BHUBANESWAR: For the first time in Odisha, the Juvenile Justice Board has convicted a minor boy for selling brown sugar under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and sentenced him to three years imprisonment. He has been sent to a special home in Berhampur.
The Board convicted the boy, now 18 years old, under section 21 (c) of the NDPS Act in connection with a case registered by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch in 2021 for selling brown sugar. The Board directed the authorities concerned to provide reformative services including education, skill development, counselling, behavioural modification therapy, psychiatric support and treatment to the boy during his stay at the special home.
STF officers arrested two drug peddlers and detained the juvenile while seizing 1.26 kg of brown sugar worth over Rs 1 crore from them near the Khurda bus stand on August 12, 2021. The agency had submitted the chargesheet under sections 21(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act. During the trial of the case, the prosecution had examined 11 witnesses and 44 documents.
The trial of the two accused is continuing in court. STF has stated it will continue to carry out raids across the state to curb the sale of various types of contraband. Since 2020, it has seized more than 73 kg of brown sugar/heroin, 202 gm of cocaine, 116 quintal ganja/marijuana and 750 gm of opium and arrested over 183 drug peddlers/dealers. STF also destroyed more than 62 kg of brown sugar in the last year.