2013 Punjab drug bust: 12-year jail for ex-cop

MOHALI: Former Punjab Police Deputy Superintendent and international wrestler Jagdish Singh alias Bhola was convicted on Wednesday and sentenced to twelve years —ten and two years’ imprisonment — in three different drug cases in the multi-crore synthetic drug case by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here. 

Bhola was held guilty in three of the seven cases registered against him in 2013 and was acquitted in four cases by the special CBI court of NS Gill which pronounced the punishment to Bhola in the remaining three cases. All the three sentences would run concurrently, Bhola has already served six years in jail and will have to spend another six years behind the bars.

His lawyer said, “We will challenge the decision in the Punjab and Haryana HC.” 
The racket was busted by the Punjab Police in 2013 and the department had claimed to have recovered synthetic drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine, pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, opium, intoxicating powder, monoethylmine, phenoxylate, hydro-chloride and Rs 1.91 crore in cash besides some foreign exchange, arms and luxury cars from various accused people in multiple raids conducted. 

Bhola had served as Deputy Superintendent of Police but was dismissed from service in 2012 after his links with the drugs racket were revealed. He was the kingpin of the drug network which was diverting precursor chemicals for medicinal purposes to illegal factories in Himachal Pradesh that manufactured synthetic drugs like ‘Ice’ and was supplying the synthetic drugs to the international market in Europe, Canada and the United States. 

Multi-crore narcotics ring
The racket was busted by the Punjab Police in 2013 and the department had claimed to have recovered synthetic drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine, pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, opium, intoxicating powder, monoethylmine, phenoxylate, hydro-chloride and D1.91 crore in cash besides some foreign exchange, arms and luxury cars from various accused people.  The department then filed several cases under the NDPS acts and the Indian Penal Code as well as the Arms Act.