The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh on the 30-year-old man, who had claimed that he was sent to India with a promise to be given an opportunity for football trialsA special court sentenced to 15 years in jail a South African national, who was arrested with 3.98 kg of heroin at the Mumbai airport.The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh on the 30-year-old man, who had claimed that he was sent to India with a promise to be given an opportunity for football trials.The court on August 1 found Mapoma Joseph Lemao guilty under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.The court, however, acquitted another accused, Ramadhani Musa, who was alleged to be the person assigned to receive the delivery of the drugs, citing lack of evidence.The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had claimed that it had received information that a person travelling by flight of Ethiopian Airlines at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, on April 12, 2022, would be carrying contraband in his check-in baggage.The NCB had claimed that while conducting an inspection of a red trolley bag that the accused was carrying, it was found that the flaps of both sides of the bag were modified and covered with cotton cloth.When they were cut open, two plastic packets were found, hidden on both sides. The NCB claimed that the packets had a cream-coloured powder substance and the drug testing kit revealed it to be heroin.Story continues below this adThe accused’s lawyer had said that there was no proof that the bag belonged to him as there was no proof that he had picked it up from the conveyor belt and that it was possible that it was “planted” on him by the real culprit.The lawyer also submitted that the accused had travelled from Johannesburg to Addis Ababa and from Addis Ababa to Mumbai and his bag would have gone through a strict check but nothing was found.“…the bag was having a baggage tag which is mandatory to be affixed on the baggage and on the boarding pass. The baggage tag affixed on the bag was having details with the name of the accused the flight by which he travelled. In those… there are details of accused No.1. Under such circumstances, the allegations of planting the baggage or foisting the bag upon the accused are not certainly acceptable,” the court said.It also did not accept the accused’s contention that proper procedure for search, seizure and analysis of the drug was not followed.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:heroin seizedMumbai Airport