KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today sentenced three men to life imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane after they were found guilty of trafficking 32 kilogrammes of drugs six years ago.
Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid handed down the sentence after finding that the defence failed to raise reasonable doubt against tow truck drivers S. Uvaraja, 48, and R. Kalaikumar, 40, and the lorry driver K. Paarthiban, 38, at the end of the defence case.
“The court ordered the three accused to be jailed from the date of arrest on June 18, 2019,“ said Judge Azhar.
The three men were charged with jointly trafficking 32,682.4 grammes (32 kilogrammes) of methamphetamine in a car park of a condominium in Jalan Desa Pandan here, at 5.35 pm, June 18, 2019.
The charge is under Section 39B (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which is punishable under Section 39B (2) of the same act and read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, provides for the death penalty or life imprisonment and if not sentenced to death, the accused can be sentenced to not less than 12 strokes of the cane.
Judge Azhar also sentenced Uvaraja to two years in prison after being found guilty on two counts of possessing 0.15 grammes of methylenedioxymethamphetamine and 0.003 gramme of heroin as well as 0.007 gramme of monoacetylmorphines, at the same location and date.
The offence is under Section 12 (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and is punishable under Section 12 (3) of the same act which provides for a maximum fine of RM100,000 or imprisonment not exceeding five years or both.
In today’s proceedings, the case was handled by deputy public prosecutor Wan Ahmad Hijrah Wan Abdullah while the three accused were represented by lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
