Kasaragod: Muhammad Marzook, a 30-year-old commercial vehicle driver from Dubai, is sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment on Thursday after being found with 48 grams of MDMA in a Kasaragod park two years ago. The Additional Sessions Court (II) Judge, Priya K, convicted Marzook for possessing the synthetic drug in commercial quantity and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh.

Marzook was spotted smoking a cannabis cigarette at Abdul Rahiman Haji Park near Kasaragod railway station on December 26, 2022. Upon questioning by the police, he was found in possession of MDMA, which was suspected to be intended for sale.

Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, possession of over 10 grams of MDMA is considered a commercial quantity, punishable with rigorous imprisonment for 10 to 20 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh.

Kasaragod police Sub-Inspector Vishnu Prasad seized the drugs and arrested Marzook. The investigation was led by Kasaragod Inspector Ajith Kumar P, with prosecution represented by Additional Government Pleader Chandramohan G and Advocate Chitrakala.