File picture of a raid in Guwahati that recovered ganja being transported in empty LPG cylinders by truck

Kohima, June 26: An illegal but lucrative profession in Nagaland which is enticing youths willing to brave less than six months of punishment, is ganja transportation.

Even as concerned NGOs and policemen observe International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, ganga peddling continues to thrive in the state.

On February 2 last year, Kohima police seized a whopping 10,000 kg of ganja in 715 packets. Police arrested 11 people, mostly from the Senapati district of Manipur. They were dressed in police uniform to give the police the slip but their answers at the checkgate gave them away. Each of the arrested received a sentence of four months and 15 days simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 3,000.

The magistrate said the accused were carrying the consignment for regular peddlers. As the transporters were of ?tender age and they have chance of reformation? they were let off with a lighter sentence. However, police sources said all the accused were adults.

According to the October 2001 amendment to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, a kilogram of ganja is a ?small quantity?, while 20 kg or more falls into the ?commercial quantity? category. ?The seizure of 10,000 kg of ganja cannot be said to be small,? said a police officer.

The blame for the light sentence has been placed primarily on the police for not going to court with a strong chargesheet.

However, police argue that it is usually up to the courts to decide the punishment for drug peddlers. Section 25 of the NDPS Act states that even if the conveyance has been used by someone possessing knowledge of the drug, the punishment should not be less than 10 years. The minimum fine is Rs 1 lakh. Most chargesheets, however, do not book the culprits under this section of the Act.

Section 20 of the NDPS Act also mentions punishment for all involved but ?up to five years? only.

There is pressure on the police to re-open the case of the ten-tonne ganja seizure.

Last year,when Zuvelhou Lasuh was arrested for possessing 35 kg of ganja, he was awarded a minimal sentence of a month?s rigorous imprisonment and Rs1,000 as fine.

Similar cases have been reported from Dimapur.

Women have been found to be active peddlers. On February 25 last year, Rita Devi was caught with 8 kg of ganja. She was jailed for a month only.

?Women go about with small infants and get released after arguments from lawyers on behalf of the child,? explained Abou Mere, activist and counsellor at the Kripa Foundation in the Naga capital.