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Two MP men get 10 years for poppy straw trafficking
Search proceedings led to the seizure of 229.960 kg (gross) of poppy straw from two, who were then placed under arrest, the NCB said in a statement.
While the Government of India permits legal farming of opium plants, this permission is given only to farmers in three states, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. (File Photo)
A court in Gujarat convicted and sentenced two residents of Madhya Pradesh to 10 years in prison for inter-state trafficking of poppy straw, which is a regulated narcotic under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
On suspicion, the Ahmedabad Zonal Unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had intercepted the two men near Mehmedabad, Kheda on December 22, 2022. Search proceedings led to the seizure of 229.960 kg (gross) of poppy straw from two, who were then placed under arrest, the NCB said in a statement.
Upon completion of the investigation, a complaint was filed before the Court of the District and Sessions Judge at Nadiad (Gujarat) on June 16, 2023, for offences punishable under Sections 8(c), 15(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act.
The Court, after trial, vide a judgment dated May 1, 2026, convicted both Jagdish Bhuriya and Dinesh Bhuriya, and sentenced them to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs1 lakh. Jagdish and Dinesh hail from Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua.
While the Government of India permits legal farming of opium plants, this permission is given only to farmers in three states, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The GoI then buys all these products.
Notably, in India, poppy cultivation is prohibited, under Section 8 of NDPS Act, 1985, except under a licence issued by the Central Bureau of Narcotics under Rule 8 of NDPS Rules, 1985.
According to the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) under the Department of Revenue of the Union Finance Ministry, “Licit cultivation is carried out in India in selected tracts notified by the Central Government annually in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Licences are issued by the CBN to eligible cultivators in the above three states as per the general conditions relating to the grant of licence framed by the central government.”
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