KUCHING: An odd-job worker was sentenced to five years in prison and two strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here today for self-administering dangerous drugs.
Judge Musli Ab Hamid imposed the sentence on Ro-is Raoi, 33, after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39C(1)(b) of the same Act.
The court ordered the sentence to take effect from the date of his arrest on Aug 13, 2026.
Ro-is was also ordered to undergo two years of supervision by a drug rehabilitation officer upon completion of his prison sentence, in accordance with Section 38B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
According to the facts of the case, Ro-is was arrested at about 1am on Feb 19, 2024, at the Kuching district police Narcotics Crime Investigation Department office after he was brought there to undergo a urine drug test.
An initial police test on his urine sample returned positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine.
The sample was subsequently sent to the Drug and Research Laboratory of the Pathology Department at Sarawak General Hospital for analysis.
The laboratory analysis confirmed that the urine sample contained amphetamine and methamphetamine, both of which are listed as dangerous drugs under the First Schedule of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
The court was also informed that Ro-is had two previous convictions for offences under Section 15(1)(a) of the same Act.
The previous convictions were recorded on Jan 10, 2023, and Jan 30, 2023.
In mitigation, counsel Wilson Tan urged the court to impose the minimum five-year imprisonment term and one stroke of whipping, with the sentence backdated to the date of arrest.
He submitted that his client had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity, saving the court’s time and public resources.
Tan also told the court that Ro-is is the sole breadwinner for his family and supported his elderly parents.
The defence further submitted that the offence stemmed from substance addiction rather than drug trafficking or distribution, and urged the court to consider rehabilitation as part of the accused’s reintegration into society.
