KUALA LUMPUR: A 49-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 years’ jail and 10 strokes of the rotan by the High Court here today, after pleading guilty to possessing 282.21 gm of cannabis and methamphetamine in June last year.
Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin sentenced M. Karunanithi who was charged with committing the offence at the entrance of Desa Green, Taman Desa, Brickfields at 3.15pm on June 10.
For the charge of possessing 280.41gms of cannabis, the court sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment and 10 strokes of the rotan, while for the possession of 1.80 gm of methamphetamine he was sentenced to a two-year jail term.
The sentences were ordered to run concurrently starting from the date of arrest on June 10, last year.
He was charged under Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which is punishable under Section 39A (2) of the same act, which provides for life imprisonment or a jail term of not less than five years and a maximum of 10 strokes of the rotan.
For the offence of possessing methamphetamine, he was charged under Section 12 (2) which is punishable under Section 12 (3) of the same act, which carries a jail term of up to five years or fine up to RM100,000 or both upon conviction.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor S. Kirubini said the quantity of the drugs possessed by the accused was large and the market value was very high and that played an important role in the sentencing.
The market price for a gram of cannabis is estimated at RM50. The possession of dangerous drugs is a serious offence, especially when it involves large quantities.
Lawyer Ghazali Nik Taib represented the accused. - Bernama
