TAWAU: A Filipino was sentenced to 12 years’ jail and 10 strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here on Tuesday for possessing 35.54g of methamphetamine in October last year.
Judge Ahmad Faizadh Yahaya imposed the sentence on Mursham Julpi, 35, after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Mursham committed the offence at Kg Kurnia Jaya, Batu 4, Jalan Apas, at 7.30am on Oct 21, 2025.
The offence under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 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 whipping of not less than 10 strokes, upon conviction.
The court heard that on the day of the incident, a team from the Tawau District Police Headquarters Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division (NCID) conducted Ops Tapis in the area following information about drug-related activities.
Upon arriving at the location, the complainant and the raiding team encountered Mursham, who was acting suspiciously and carrying a black waist bag.
He was startled by the presence of the police and attempted to flee but was arrested after a struggle with the raiding team.
A search of the black zippered waist bag bearing the words “1986 One Level Up” uncovered 16 transparent plastic packets of various sizes containing clear crystalline substances suspected to be syabu.
An inspection and preliminary weighing at the Tawau District Police Headquarters NCID office found that the substances had a gross weight of about 53.80g, while chemical analysis by the Department of Chemistry Malaysia confirmed a net weight of 35.54g.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wildan Firdaus Ahmad Fazly prosecuted, while Mursham was unrepresented.
