Mohali: Trucker gets 10-yr jail for smuggling poppy husk

A Mohali court has sentenced a trucker to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment on charges of smuggling one quintal of poppy Husk into the district.

The court also fined the convict, identified as Balbir Singh, ₹1 lakh. In case he defaults on the payment, he will have to undergo one more year of imprisonment, according to the order pronounced by the court of district and sessions judge Hareet Kaur Kaleke.

The special task force (STF), Mohali, had arrested Balbir Singh near Radha Soami Satsang crossing after the contraband was recovered from his truck. Upon investigation, the STF found he was not just the driver but also owned the truck and used it frequently to smuggle drugs.

He used to load material to be transported to Madhya Pradesh from Mohali, and brought back drugs from there to be sold to suppliers and customers in Mohali, stated the chargesheet.