TIRUPATI: The red sanders special (RSS) court in Tirupati has sentenced a red sanders smuggler from Tamil Nadu to five years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 6 lakh in a 2017 smuggling case reported in the protected Seshachalam forests. RSS additional district judge Narasimha Murthy found Annamalai Murugesan, a resident of Salem district, guilty of transporting red sanders logs from the Bhimavaram forest beat in the Chittoor east forest division. Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force SP P. Srinivas said sustained follow-up of pending cases and effective presentation of evidence by the prosecution led to the conviction. He said the judgment would act as a deterrent to those involved in red sanders smuggling and illegal entry into the Seshachalam Reserve Forest. Following the verdict, Murugesan was lodged in Nellore Central Prison.