Five convicted for transporting marijuana, sentenced to 20 years of RI

Five persons were convicted for transporting 100 kg of marijuana by the Warangal police, with a court in Hanamkonda awarding them 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, with a fine of ₹1 lakh.

The accused have been identified as Pavurala Venkatesh, 38, Abboju Venkatesh, 36, Paripally Karthik, 43, Ananthula Sambaiah, 54, and Kokkrakonda Chendraiah, 78, all residents of Hanamkonda district.

The judgment was delivered by B. Aparna Devi, First Additional District and Sessions Judge, Hanamkonda, in a case registered at Athmakur police station. The court convicted the accused under provisions of the NDPS Act and pronounced the sentence under Section 235(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The case dates back to December 20, 2017, when police seized 100 kg of marijuana on the outskirts of Chowllapally village under Athmakur police station limits. The contraband was being transported from Visakhapatnam to Maharashtra, indicating an inter-State drug trafficking network.