Elderly Woman , Three Men Charged With Drug Trafficking, Possession

PONTIAN, May 15  (Bernama) -- An elderly woman and three men were charged in the Magistrate's Court here today for drug possession and trafficking.

Chan Ah Moi, 75, Chan Chui Lai, 59, Tan Chee Seong, 50, and Lim Huang Kin, 40, were charged before Magistrate Nur Azzuin Abdul Moati.

For the drug trafficking charges, Ah Moi, Chui Lai, Chee Seong and Huang Kin were jointly charged with three counts each, two counts involving Methylenedioxymethamphetamine,  weighing 23,572.74 grams and 532.59 grams and the third count, involving 362.02 grams of cannabis.

They were charged with committing the offence in a house in Kukup Laut, near here, at 1.30 am last May 4.

Chui Lai, who is a younger brother of Ah Moi, faced another charge of trafficking the MDMA drug, weighing 1,638.81 grams,  at the same place and time.

No plea was recorded from all of them for the drug trafficking charges.

The charges were framed under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which provides the death penalty or life imprisonment and if not sentenced to death, shall be punished with at least 12 strokes of the cane, if found guilty.

All of them, however, pleaded not guilty to a charge of possessing 232.6 grams of ketamine, framed under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act which provides a fine of not more than RM100,000 or a maximum imprisonment of five years or both, upon conviction.

Chui Lai also pleaded not guilty to another charge of possessing 275 grams of the Nimetazepam drug at the same place and time.

No bail was offered and the court fixed July 21 for mention.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurezzati Zaini appeared for the prosecution, while all the accused were unrepresented.

-- BERNAMA