The Paro District Court has sentenced three Indian nationals, two men and a woman, to more than five years in prison each for smuggling cannabis. The judgment was passed yesterday. The case dates back to May this year. Customs officials at Paro International Airport caught the trio arriving from Bangkok with over seven kilograms of dried cannabis leaves hidden in their luggage.
According to the verdict, customs officials at the Paro International Airport discovered over 1.5 kilograms of cannabis in the 29-year-old woman’s suitcase. Similarly, the 28-year-old man was caught with more than 2.5 kilograms and the 30-year-old man with over 3 kilograms during a routine inspection on May 12.
Following the seizure, the Office of the Attorney General charged the trio with illicit trafficking under Bhutan’s Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act, which criminalises possession of cannabis exceeding 50 grams as a trafficking offence.
The court noted that the woman initially told customs officials that the drug was for her personal consumption but later claimed to police that she was unaware of its presence in her luggage.
The two men also stated that the woman did not know about the drugs, saying that the 28-year-old man had placed a packet of cannabis in her suitcase while she was asleep in a rented apartment in Thailand.
The court, however, held that the woman was responsible for the contents of her luggage and could not claim ignorance as a defense. Video evidence also showed her acknowledging the seized drugs at Paro airport. She was sentenced to five years in prison.
The two men confessed that the cannabis belonged to them and was brought for personal consumption. While the 28-yera-old was sentenced to five years and three months in prison, the 30-year-old received five years and six months.
The court emphasised that the quantity threshold for personal use was far exceeded, making their actions constitute illicit trafficking under Bhutanese law.
Tashi Dekar
Edited by Kipchu
