Lorry Driver Fined RM30,000 For Possession Of Diesel Without Licence

BUTTERWORTH, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- A lorry driver was fined RM30,000 after pleading guilty in the Sessions Court here today to two charges of possessing scheduled controlled goods, namely 7,737 litres of diesel, without a valid licence in 2023 and 2024.

Judge Roslan Hamid also ordered Mohammad Syafiq Jaily to be sentenced to 12 months in jail if he fails to pay the fine.

According to the first charge, the accused was charged with possessing 2,230 litres of diesel stored illegally in an additional tank of a motor vehicle along with equipment such as a pump, hose pipe, and steel tank for fuel transfer activities by the roadside in the Bukit Mertajam area on July 7, 2023.

In addition, the accused was also charged with possessing 5,507 litres of diesel using the same lorry and equipment such as a pump and hose pipe at a petrol station in Bukit Mertajam on April 25, 2024.

Penang Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Prosecuting Officers, Mohd Hilmi Abu Hassan and Zulaila Zainuddin, presented both charges under Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961, which provides for a penalty of a fine up to RM1 million or three years in jail, or both, upon conviction.

In his plea, Mohammad Syafiq, who was not represented by a lawyer, requested a minimum fine, citing the need to support his unemployed wife, three children, and elderly mother-in-law.

The court also ordered that the proceeds from the sale of seized goods, payment of vehicle guarantee bonds, and exhibits that were confiscated be either forfeited and made government revenue or disposed of.

-- BERNAMA