KUCHING: A man was fined RM2,900, in default nine months’ imprisonment, by the Magistrate’s Court here today for possessing a small amount of methamphetamine this year.
Magistrate Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali meted out the sentence on the 31-year-old Boon Lo Siong, after he pleaded guilty to the amended charge brought against him.
The offence, framed under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and punishable under Section 12(3) of the same Act, carries a penalty of a fine not exceeding RM100,000, or imprisonment for up to five years, or both, upon conviction.
Boon was charged with possessing 0.08 gramme of methamphetamine in front of an association building along Kuching City Mall Road in Padawan at about 7:55 pm on January 27.
According to the facts of the case, a team of police officers from the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division (NCID) of Padawan Police Headquarters detained the accused on suspicion of drug abuse at the location.
During inspection, the accused voluntarily handed over a small transparent plastic packet containing crystalline substances suspected to be syabu.
The seized substance was later sent to the Department of Chemistry Malaysia for analysis.
Laboratory results confirmed that the substance contained 0.08 gramme of methamphetamine.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor, Muhammad Aidil Akmal Shahridan. Boon, was unrepresented.
