Three Cambodian nationals were sentenced to nine months in jail for the unlawful possession of agarwood in Pahang last October.
KUANTAN: Three Cambodian nationals were sentenced to nine months in jail today for the unlawful possession of agarwood.
Sessions Court Judge Sazlina Safie handed down the sentence to Toek Tan, 41, Sin Sor, 49, and Nget Koy, 60, after they pleaded guilty.
The trio were charged with possessing about 16.55 kilogrammes of agarwood at a house in Taman Chendor Darat 1 on Oct 13.
They had failed to pay the required royalty, premium, and cess to the Pahang state government.
The charge was framed under Section 84(1) of the National Forestry Act 1984.
It carries a maximum penalty of a RM50,000 fine, up to five years’ imprisonment, or both.
According to the case facts, Forestry Department rangers inspected the house around 9am on Oct 13.
They found the three men processing the agarwood.
The foreigners told authorities they were working on the instructions of a 42-year-old man who claimed to own the forest produce.
The raiding team confiscated the agarwood, valued at about RM18,700.
They also seized four chainsaws, a digital weighing scale, and eight agarwood cleaning tools.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Shahrezal Mohd Shukri urged for a prison sentence as a public warning.
He also applied for the forfeiture of all seized items to the Pahang state government.
