KUCHING: A former Henry Gurney School student was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and two strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here today for self-administering dangerous drugs.
Judge Musli Abdul Hamid handed down the sentence on Mahadi Salleh, 31, after he pleaded guilty to the charge framed 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 custodial sentence to run consecutively with any current sentence being served by the accused.
Mahadi was also placed under police supervision for a period of two years upon completion of his prison term, in accordance with Section 38B of the Act.
According to the facts of the case, the accused was arrested at about 2:00 am on October 2, 2025, at the Padawan District Narcotics Crime Investigation Department office after being brought in for a drug screening test.
Initial urine screening conducted by police returned positive results for amphetamine and methamphetamine. Subsequent laboratory analysis by the Pathology Department of Sarawak General Hospital confirmed the presence of both substances in his system.
Investigations revealed that Mahadi had three prior convictions for drug use under Section 15(1)(a), all dated June 25, 2025, prompting the enhanced punishment under Section 39C(1)(b).
In mitigation, the accused pleaded for leniency, citing his financial hardship and family responsibilities.
He informed the court that he is married with two young children and earns a living selling bakso with his wife.
He also requested that the sentence be backdated to the date of his arrest and asked for the punishment to run concurrently.
Deputy Public Prosecutor, Adriana Maisarah Mohd Farid, prosecuted the case. The accused was unrepresented.
