KLUANG, Sept 25 — A 19-year-old Indonesian male teenager was charged at the Magistrates’ Court here today with two counts of trafficking illicit drugs, suspected to be heroin and methamphetamine, weighing over 25 kilogrammes (kg) last week.
The accused, Nanda Afrizal, who is employed as a construction worker, nodded to indicate he understood the charges after they were read out before Magistrate Norasidah A. Rahman.
For the first charge, he is alleged to have trafficked drugs suspected to be heroin, with an estimated gross weight of 17,842 grammes, in a room at a house in Taman Lian Seng at 3pm on September 13.
The charge was framed under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39B(2) of the same Act.
For the second charge, Nanda is alleged to have trafficked drugs suspected to be methamphetamine, with an estimated gross weight of 8,109 grammes, at the same time and location.
The offense was also framed under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and is punishable under Section 39B(2) of the same Act.
Both sections carry either the death penalty or life imprisonment upon conviction.
This includes 12 to 15 strokes of the cane depending on sentencing discretion and if death penalty is imposed.
In a separate charge, Nanda was also accused of possessing drugs suspected to be methamphetamine, with an estimated gross weight of 5.25 grammes, in the living room of the same house at the aforementioned time and date.
The charge was brought under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for illegal possession of drugs and is punishable under Section 39A(1) of the same Act.
The accused faces a prison sentence of not less than two years and not more than five years, as well as whipping of not less than three strokes and not more than nine strokes upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nik Noratini Nik Azman prosecuted, while the accused was unrepresented.
The court did not offer bail and fixed November 25 for mention and submission of the chemistry report.
In the same proceedings, the accused faced a separate charge under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for allegedly remaining in the country without reasonable cause after the expiry of his social visit pass on October 8.
The offence is punishable under Section 15(4) of the same Act, which provides for a fine of not more than RM10,000, imprisonment for up to five years, or both upon conviction.
The accused was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment from the date of his arrest after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
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