A truck driver and his assistant from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, have been sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Tripura court for smuggling banned cough syrup. Additional District and Sessions Judge Debasish Kar in Sepahijala district handed down the verdict on Thursday, also imposing a fine of ₹1 lakh each on the defendants.
The sentencing follows a police operation conducted on June 4 of the previous year. Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted the truck, registered in Uttar Pradesh, at the Bishalgarh bypass in Sepahijala. The vehicle, en route from Agartala, was found to contain a large stockpile of the restricted cough syrup, which is often abused as a narcotic.
The driver and his handyman were immediately arrested and subsequently charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The judgment underscores the court’s commitment to cracking down on illegal drug trafficking in the region.
