Five Friends Charged With Drug Trafficking, Possession

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 29 (Bernama) -- Five friends were charged in the Magistrate's Court here today with drug possession and trafficking two weeks ago.

Three of them -- Muhammad Khalis Abdul Kudus, 39, Amirul Din Abd Aziz, 44, and Mohd Firdaus Mohd Fodzi, 40, -- were charged with jointly trafficking 29,902 grammes of cannabis in a parking area in front of a house in Persiaran Sungai Gelugor 2, at 11.50 pm last  August 15.

The charge,  under Section 39B (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, provides the death penalty or life imprisonment and a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane, if convicted.

Muhammad Khalis, who is unemployed, and Amirul Din, who is a fisherman, are also jointly charged under the same law with trafficking 16,179 grammes of cannabis at a house in Persiaran Sungai Gelugor 2 here, at 12.50 am the following day (Aug 16).

All of them nodded after the charges were read out to them before Magistrate Siti Nurul Suhaila Baharin, but no plea was recorded as the cases are under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

In the same court, Muhammad Khalis also pleaded not guilty to a charge of drug possession, involving 43.91 grammes of cannabis at a house in Persiaran Sungai Gelugor 2 at 11.30 pm last Aug 15.

He was jointly charged with committing the offence with Mohd Ekmal Kamarudin, 47, who is a bank employee, and fisherman Azhar Omar, 57, both of whom pleaded guilty.

The charge, framed under Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code and is punishable under Section 39A (1) of the law, provides a prison sentence of up to five years and whipping of up to nine strokes, upon conviction.

Meanwhile, Amirul Din and Mohd Firdaus, also a fisherman, were jointly charged with possession of  2.96 grammes of cannabis at the same place at 11.40 pm last Aug 15, to which they both pleaded not guilty.

They face a maximum fine of RM20,000 or imprisonment of up to five years or both, upon conviction.

All of them were allowed bail of RM3,000 with one surety each. The court adjourned all the cases to Nov 12.

Deputy public prosecutor Lau Shavin appeared for the prosecution in all the cases.

-- BERNAMA