NEW DELHI, Feb 21: The Supreme Court on Friday denied bail to an accused implicated in a narco-terrorism case involving the confiscation of 532 kilograms of heroin and 52 kilograms of mixed narcotics valued at Rs 2,700 crore in Attari.
A bench consisting of Justices M M Sundresh and Prashant Kumar Mishra dismissed the arguments presented by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, who represented Tariq Ahmed Lone, asserting that bail should be granted as the drugs were not found in his possession.
“The charges are extremely serious,” remarked the bench while rejecting the bail application.
The individuals involved were charged and issued a chargesheet for allegedly attempting to smuggle the drugs into India from Pakistan via the Attari Integrated Check Post in 2019.
Lone, hailing from Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir, appealed to the Supreme Court against the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order dated October 4, 2024, which denied his bail request in the case.
A special NIA court in Mohali had previously dismissed his bail plea on February 11, 2021.
Gonsalves further argued for bail by stating that the truck allegedly used for smuggling the substances and the warehouse in question did not belong to his client.
He also noted that four co-accused in the case had been granted bail.
However, the bench allowed Lone the option to reapply for bail should circumstances change.
The NIA alleged that a Pakistani truck crossed into India on June 26, 2019, claiming to carry a rock salt consignment imported by Gurpinder Singh from M/s Kanishk Enterprises in Pakistan and exported by M/s Global Vision Impex.
Upon inspection, authorities discovered 16 polypropylene bags containing a white powder/granules that were suspected to be heroin, according to the NIA.
The investigation revealed that the consignment contained narcotics worth billions in the international market.
Initially, both Gurpinder Singh and Lone were taken into custody by the Department of Customs, after which the inquiry was assigned to the NIA.
The NIA characterized the case as narco-terrorism with significant national and international implications.
Based on the NIA’s investigations, a chargesheet was presented against 11 individuals, with Gurpinder Singh among the accused who has since passed away.
The agency reported the dismantling of an international drug trafficking ring operating out of Pakistan and Afghanistan, resulting in the large drug seizure. (PTI)
