Unemployed Charged With Trafficking Over 20 Kg Of Syabu In Batu Pahat

BATU PAHAT, May 2 (Bernama) -- An unemployed man was charged at the Magistrate's Court here today on charges of trafficking more than 20 kilogrammes of syabu last month.

The charge against Muhammad Nur Hazreq Kairuddin, 36, was read out before Magistrate Nurasidah A Rahman but no plea was recorded because the charge fell under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

According to the charge, Muhammad Nur Hazreq was caught trafficking 20,712 grammes of methamphetamine at the jetty near the lamppost of Lorong 3, 1/7, Minyak Beku, Batu Pahat at 7 pm on April 21.

The accused was charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which is punishable under Section 39B(2) of the same act, providing for the death penalty or life imprisonment and if not sentenced to death, shall be punished with not less than 12 strokes of the cane.

The case was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Firdaus Ruslan while the accused was not represented by a lawyer.

No bail was offered and the case will be re-mentioned for submission of chemical reports on June 30.

Last Tuesday, Johor police chief Datuk M Kumar was reported to have said that a 36-year-old man was arrested at a jetty in Batu Pahat after an inspection of a pickup truck yielded 20 bundles of suspected syabu weighing more than 20 kilogrammes worth more than RM662,000.

He said the syndicate, which has been active since February, was using vehicles as a place to store drugs before smuggling them to neighbouring countries by sea.

-- BERNAMA