THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
The Additional Sessions Judge-3, North Goa, Merces has ordered the framing of charges against alleged drug peddler Delton Edward Diego Da Costa, a Goan, who was arrested by the Crime Branch over two years ago. The case, involving small quantities of narcotics, will be tried before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) and not the Sessions Court.
As per the charge sheet submitted to the Court, on the intervening night of September 15-16, 2022, Da Costa was caught red-handed in possession of a blue-coloured polythene bag containing 604 grams of greenish flowering and fruiting tops of a plant suspected to be Ganja. In the raid below the flyover at Karaswada junction, he was also allegedly caught with two plastic containers containing Hashish oil and a transparent auto-press polythene packet containing 2.25 grams of a white crystalline substance, initially suspected to be MDMA. The total estimated value of the seized substances was valued at Rs 2.60 lakh approx in the international market.
During the hearing, Public Prosecutor S Patil submitted that the quantities of Ganja and Hashish oil fell under the ‘small quantity’ category as per the NDPS Act schedule. Further, the forensic examination confirmed the third substance was actually Methamphetamine.
Citing the forensic reports, Judge Apurva Nagvenkar conceded the seized quantities were not of commercial quantity. “The small quantities of narcotic drugs Hashish, Ganja and Methamphetamine were attached during said raid; hence the case is not exclusively triable by the Court of Sessions. Therefore, in view of Section 252(1)(a) of BNSS 2023, the charge shall be framed against him under Section 22(a), 20(b)(ii)(A) of NDPS Act and thereafter, the case shall stand transferred for trial to the Chief Judicial Magistrate of North Goa at Merces, after explaining charge,” the order stated.
