Kota Kinabalu: Five men were charged in the Magistrate’s Court, here, Friday with drug trafficking, with the first three allegedly involved in trafficking 20.7kg of ketamine.
They were Lim Chia Siong 36, Zulkifli Abdullah @ Lee You Lim, 58, Leong Vin Ming, 47, Mohammad Adam Jelson, 20, and Abu Bakar Sidik Ibrahim, 44, who faced the charges before separate magistrates.
Company manager Lim, clerk Zulkifli and a company owner Leong, who appeared before Magistrate Dzul Elmy Yunus were jointly accused of trafficking 20,700grammes of ketamine on Sept 4, this year, at 12.15pm, at GMP Services, Taman Sri Kepayan, Kepayan.
They were charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) 1952, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
Adam, a waiter, was accused of trafficking in 139.44 grammes of 3,4 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) at 11am on Sept 11, this year, at the parking lot of University Utama Condominium, Jalan Kayu Madang, Telipok.
Meanwhile, jobless Abu Bakar was charged with trafficking 53.11 grammes of syabu at 4.30pm on Sept 5, this year, at the roadside of Kg Ambatin, Jalan Terowong, Sabah Port Bypass, Sepanggar.
Adam and Abu Bakar brought before Magistrate Marilyn Kelvin, were also charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the DDA 1952.
No plea was recorded from any of the accused when the respective charges were read out to them.
Magistrate Dzul set Nov 12 for mention of the case of Lim, Zulkifli and Leong pending the chemist’s report, while the case of Adam and Abu Bakar was fixed for mention on Nov 13, also pending the chemist’s report.
Pending the date, the accused were ordered to be remanded further as the charge against them has no provision for bail.
The charge against them, punishable under Section 39B(2) of the same Act, carries the mandatory death penalty or life imprisonment, and if not sentenced to death, a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane, on conviction.
Leong was represented by counsel Ariel Dasan, Dominic Chew and Eow Ee Pei.
Inspectors Mohamad Hamidi Mohamad Hamzah and Yusdi Basri prosecuted.
