MAPUSA: A 50-year-old Japanese national has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for possessing narcotics.
Judge Desmond D’Costa of NDPS court in Mapusa convicted Yasuri Hinagata and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 1 lakh fine for possessing LSD, besides another 5 years rigorous imprisonment and Rs 50,000 fine, for possessing charas under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for illegal possession of commercial quantity of drugs.
On default of paying the fine, the accused will have to serve further imprisonment of one year each. Both the sentences will run concurrently, the court said.
“The offence is serious in nature and no leniency is called for,” the court said.
According to the prosecution, Hinagata was arrested on July 18, 2013, near football ground, small Vagator, Anjuna. He was found carrying 1.81 gm LSD (liquid) and 568 gm charas, all worth around Rs 8 lakh.
Prosecution examined eight witnesses in the case.
During the trial, Hinagata had pleaded innocence and claimed that he was being falsely implicated by the police.
Police claimed they had specific and reliable information that the accused had gone on Activa scooter to deliver the drugs.
Anuradha Talaulikar was the Public Prosecutor, while G Kanekar was the defence lawyer.
