KUCHING: The Magistrates’ Court here today sentenced a man to five years’ imprisonment and one stroke of the rotan for repeated drug use involving amphetamine and methamphetamine.
Magistrate Jason Juga ordered Joseph Gencang Soh, 25, to serve the prison sentence from the date of his arrest on Dec 30, 2025, after he pleaded guilty to charges under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39C(1)(b) of the same Act.
Section 39C(1) provides for imprisonment of up to seven years and up to three strokes of the cane.
The court also ordered Gencang to undergo supervision by an officer as defined under Section 2 of the Drug Dependants (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983 upon completion of his prison sentence.
According to the facts of the case, on Oct 10, 2023, Gencang was arrested by officers from the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) of the Kuching Police Headquarters (IPD) to undergo a drug test.
The initial screening returned positive results for amphetamine and methamphetamine, prompting the police to lodge an immediate report.
Gencang had two prior convictions under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, following arrests on July 7, 2017 and Dec 11, 2019.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor, Ruvinasini Pandian, while the accused was unrepresented.
