Major Drug Cartel Conviction: Special Judge Sentences Key Figures & Confirms Asset Confiscation Of Rs. 12.37 Crore
(Judicial Quest News Network)
New Delhi 1st August,2024
On July 30, 2024, the Hon’ble Special Judge (PMLA), SAS Nagar, delivered a landmark judgment convicting all 17 available accused in a high-profile drug trafficking case, out of a total of 23 accused. Four accused had died during the trial, and two had been declared Proclaimed Offenders.
The case followed an extensive investigation initiated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2013, which was triggered by multiple FIRs lodged across various police stations in Punjab. These FIRs were related to violations of the NDPS Act, 1985, IPC 1860, and the Arms Act, 1959. The primary figure in the case, Jagdish Singh @ Bhola—a former wrestler and DSP in the Punjab Police—was identified as the ringleader of the drug cartel.
In the court’s judgment, Jagdish Singh @ Bhola received a 10-year prison sentence. Alongside him, several other key members of the cartel were sentenced, including Avtar Singh @ Tari, Sukhraj Singh @ Raja, Manpreet Singh @ Money Gill, Sukhjit Singh @ Sukha, Maninder Singh @ Bittu Aulakh, and Devinder Singh @ Happy, who also received 10 years of imprisonment.
Additionally, Gurpreet Kaur (wife of Jagdish Singh @ Bhola), Dalip Singh Maan (father-in-law of Jagdish Singh @ Bhola), Amarjit Kaur, Gurmeet Kaur, Jagminder Kaur, and Sundeep Kaur were each sentenced to 3 years in prison. Accused involved in assisting the drug smugglers with hawala transactions—Gurdip Singh Manchanda, Sunil Bajaj, Ankur Bajaj, and Subhash Bajaj—received sentences of 5 years.
The court further ordered the confiscation of assets valued at Rs. 12.37 Crore, which were previously attached by the ED in 2014, 2015, and 2018. Notably, the ED had provisionally attached assets worth Rs. 95 Crore in connection with this case.
This conviction marks a significant victory in the ongoing fight against drug trafficking and financial crimes, underscoring the robust enforcement of legal measures and asset recovery in such high-profile cases.
