Mumbai: A special NDPS court has refused to grant discharge to wrestler Kyle Cummings, booked along with two friends for allegedly importing banned narcotics, including 230 grams of MDMA, in May last year.
Belgium Consignment Under Probe
According to the prosecution, Cummings allegedly booked the consignment from Belgium and coordinated its delivery to Pune through his friend. He was said to be in constant touch with co-accused Shrawan Joshi and Aryan Haldankar for directing the consignment and arranging payment.
Contraband Intercepted in May 2024
On May 16, 2024, the Special Investigation and Intelligence Branch (APSC) received a tip-off that a parcel addressed to Joshi from Belgium might contain narcotics. The parcel was intercepted and was found to contain 281 grams of contraband – 51 grams of creamish white substance purported to be Methamphetamine and 230 grams of orange tablets purported to be MDMA.
Defence Denies Direct Role
Cummings’s lawyer argued that no drugs were recovered directly from him and that there was no evidence, such as a laptop, linking him to the consignment. The defence claimed he had no connection with the seized parcel.
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Court Finds Prima Facie Evidence
The court, however, held that the prosecution’s evidence indicated Cummings’ role in demanding and facilitating the delivery of the parcel along with the co-accused. It observed that at the discharge stage, the court is not required to determine guilt but only to assess whether there is prima facie material to proceed against the accused.
Trial To Proceed
Rejecting the discharge plea, the court said there was sufficient prima facie evidence to continue the trial against Cummings and his associates.
