Chukha dzongkhag court sentenced a 23-year-old woman from Tang in Bumthang for aiding and abetting a crime and illicit trafficking on October 19.

The woman, Pema Rinchen, was given a concurrent sentencing of one year and six months.

Gedu police arrested her on July 29 this year for illegal possession of 10 capsules of Spasmoproxyvon plus (SP+) and nine tablets of Nitrosun (N10).

Office of the Attorney General (OAG) charged her for illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances as per section 139 of the Narcotic Drugs Psychotropic Substance and Substance Abuse Act of Bhutan (NDPSSA) 2015.

OAG reasoned that according to the Act, a person in possession of 10 pieces of these substances shall be liable for violating section 139.

The court altered the charge for illicit trafficking of SP+ to aiding and abetting a crime in accordance with section 187.3 of the Civil and Criminal Procedure Code of Bhutan 2001 (CCPC) and convicted her to three years and six months for bringing 10 capsules of SP+, for a hotel cook, Tsagay.

The judgment stated that although the crime is graded a fourth-degree felony, the sentence was reduced to one year and six months since she did not have a prior criminal record and also because she is expecting.

She was also sentenced to one year for illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances as per section 139 of the NDPSSA 2015 for trafficking nine tablets of N10.

The judgment stated that she was given a concurrent sentencing of one year and six months.

It was learnt that although Pema Rinchen told Gedu police that she brought the substances for self-consumption, she changed her statement before the court and claimed that she brought the substances on the request of Tsagay from Bongo, Chukha.

The court then issued a remand order for Tsagay and Tsagay confessed to the crime.

The court gave a concurrent sentencing of one year and six months in prison to Tsagay for violating section 126 of the Penal Code of Bhutan 2005, which states, “A defendant shall be guilty of the offence of solicitation to commit a crime if the defendant purposely or knowingly solicits, requests, commands or causes another person to commit a crime.”

He was sentenced to one year and six months for soliciting Pema Rinchen to bring 10 capsules of SP+ and six months for soliciting her to bring nine tables of N10.

Tashi Dema