Chandigarh, January 28
In a landmark judgment, a local court today awarded death sentence to a drug peddler and 15 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) to a Burundi national in a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case dating back to November 2007. The two were convicted on January 19 and the quantum of sentence was pronounced today.

Paramjit Singh of Amritsar and Festus Nenson of Republic of Burundi, were nabbed with 8 kg heroin on November 30, 2007. Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) counsel Kailash Chander said Paramjit was earlier arrested for drug peddling in Delhi in 2003 and awarded 10 years’ imprisonment. However, after coming out on parole, Paramjit again started the drug peddling, following which the court awarded him death sentence. “This is for the first time that a court has awarded death sentence to a drug peddler in Chandigarh,” the NCB counsel said.

Festus, apart from 15 years of imprisonment, has been fined Rs 1.5 lakh.

Both the accused were present in the court when the quantum of sentence was pronounced.

The NCB officials had nabbed the duo after intercepting them at the grain market in Sector 39. Paramjit had arrived in his car to deliver the consignment to Festus.