HIMACHAL RESIDENT SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS RIGOROUS IMPRISONMENT, PROCURING DRUGS FROM UK, FRANCE AND GERMANY

NCB CHANDIGARH SECURES CONVICTION IN INTERNATIONAL POSTAL DRUG TRAFFICKING CASE 

Face2News/Chandigarh

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Chandigarh Zonal Unit, has secured the conviction of Pankaj Sharma, a resident of Solan, Himachal Pradesh, in NCB Crime No. 16/2023 dated 04.07.2023, a case involving the trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances through international postal parcels. Vide judgment dated 03.10.2026, the Hon’ble Special Judge-II, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, convicted the accused under Section 22(c) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, for possession of a commercial quantity of MDMA, and sentenced him to 10 years’ Rigorous Imprisonment along with a fine of ₹1,00,000.

The case arose on 04.07.2023, when NCB Chandigarh received specific intelligence regarding an international postal parcel originating from the United Kingdom and suspected to contain narcotic drugs/psychotropic substances. After obtaining due authorisation for controlled delivery under Section 50A of the NDPS Act, the NCB team recovered the original contents of the parcel, comprising 4.7 grams of cocaine, and thereafter conducted the controlled delivery operation at the Head Post Office, Solan.

Pankaj Sharma took delivery of the said parcel and was apprehended on the spot. A second parcel originating from France, collected by him at the same time, was searched, leading to the recovery and seizure of 56.2 grams of MDMA — more than five times the commercial quantity of 10 grams notified for MDMA under the NDPS Act. The operation also led to the identification of a third parcel, originating from Germany and intended for delivery to the accused, from which a further 4.4 grams of cocaine was recovered.

Further investigation revealed that the accused was procuring drugs from multiple European countries through international postal channels. A complaint under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act was filed before the Ld. Special Judge, Solan, on 19.12.2023.

During trial, the prosecution established the conscious possession of the accused through the testimony of postal witnesses, delivery documents, identification records, seizure proceedings, malkhana records and scientific evidence.

The conviction reflects the NCB’s emphasis on intelligence-led operations, scientific investigation and diligent prosecution against the misuse of international postal channels for drug trafficking. The Bureau remains committed to the vision of a Nasha Mukt Bharat (Drug-Free India).
Public Cooperation Requested: Report drug trafficking on the MANAS National Narcotics Helpline (Toll-Free: 1933). The identity of informants is kept strictly confidential.