Kerala HC denies bail to man who procured cocaine online

Kochi, Sept 6 (IANS) The Kerala High Court has denied bail to a man who allegedly procured cocaine and MDMA, by placing an online order and making crypto currency payments through an app.

The Court also cautioned that the purpose behind the stringent provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) would get defeated if efforts are not made to stop the use of advanced technology to procure and traffic drugs.

Following this, the Court denied bail to the accused whose name and contact details were mentioned on the parcel containing the drugs. The Court also took serious note of how the accused was allegedly able to procure the drugs discreetly with the use of mobile applications.

The judge found that the accused was apparently able to use "modern technological advancements" to ensure that his transactions remained untraced.

"The dependence of the petitioner upon the Apps that enabled him to have transactions without any trace and silence maintained by him as to the purposes of such transactions is one of the crucial circumstances ... " it can be seen that new methods are seen devised as an attempt to defeat the process of law by making use of advanced technology, and if such attempts are not nipped in the bud, the purpose behind the stringent provisions of the NDPS Act, would get defeated," the Court said.

This case surfaced when on November 30, 2022, an Intelligence Officer received information that a suspicious parcel was sent to the accused address from a foreign country.

On examination of the contents of the said parcel, it was revealed that it contained 51.32 gms of MDMA and 7.23 gms of cocaine. Thereafter, the accused was called to collect the parcel and when he arrived, the intelligence officer questioned him and subsequently arrested him.