Chencho Dema

Punakha—The Punakha Dzongkhag Court sentenced two men to five years in prison each for their involvement in separate cases of cannabis trafficking.

In the first case, the Punakha Dzongkhag Court convicted Kinley Tenzin, a 35-year-old driver from Nyisho Gewog in Wangdue, on December 25.

The case came to light on October 10, when his 21-year-old wife reported him to the police, alleging domestic violence. Upon investigation, the police discovered that Kinley Tenzin had assaulted his wife while under the influence of drugs.

While conducting a search of his apartment in Eusakha, Barp gewog in Punakha, the police uncovered 2,457 grammes of cannabis, which was stored at his home.

A drug test confirmed that he was under the influence of drugs.

In a separate case, the court convicted 27-year-old Kinley Tshering, an unemployed man from Dzomi gewog, on December 26. He was apprehended on September 22 by Lobesa Community Police during a routine inspection of a taxi travelling from Semtokha to Punakha.

Police found eight sticks of hashish, weighing 22 grammes, hidden in a plastic bag tucked into Kinley Tshering’s socks. A drug test revealed THC in his system, confirming marijuana use. During the interrogation, he confessed to purchasing the hashish from a Thimphu-based individual named Karma Tshering, also known as Kalu.