A Delhi High Court judge has set free a South African man after more than four years behind bars in a major drug trafficking case. Quentin Deacon, arrested at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport back in 2021, finally got regular bail on September 25 from Justice Arun Monga.
Customs officials nabbed Deacon and another South African, Sydney John-Brain O’Grady, when they landed from Doha. A search of their bags turned up about 10 kilograms of what they believe is heroin—a hefty amount that falls under India’s tough Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The off-white powder weighed around 10,500 grams and came from Deacon’s checked luggage and backpack.
Deacon’s lawyer, Akshay Bhandari, argued hard for his release. He pointed out that Deacon has already spent over four years in jail since his arrest on June 27, 2021. The charge sheet came in December 2021, but the trial has dragged on, with just six out of 14 witnesses questioned so far. “The trial could take years more,” Bhandari said, adding that this long wait means the NDPS Act’s strict bail rules under Section 37 shouldn’t apply here.
Justice Monga agreed, noting the “snail’s pace” of the case in the lower court. In his order, he warned that Deacon might serve a full sentence before even being convicted if things keep moving this slowly. The judge called it “inordinate incarceration” after four years and three months, and ordered Deacon’s release on a personal bond plus a solvent surety, approved by the trial court.
Prosecutors fought the bail, calling Deacon a flight risk as a foreign national. They stressed that heroin in commercial quantities triggers an automatic bar on bail under the NDPS Act to protect society from drug traffickers. The special public prosecutor also said the trial isn’t unreasonably delayed and that letting him go could tamper with evidence or scare witnesses. Still, the court sided with the defense.
This case highlights the challenges in India’s drug trafficking probes, where delays can stretch justice for years under the NDPS laws. Deacon’s release comes amid ongoing efforts to speed up trials for serious crimes like narcotics smuggling at major airports.
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