KUCHING: A lecturer was fined RM4,500, in default 12 months’ imprisonment, by the Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of self-administering dangerous drugs following a full trial.
Magistrate Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali convicted Mohammad Amirul Azizi Yusup, 40, under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
The court also ordered him to undergo two years of police supervision pursuant to Section 38B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 upon completion of his sentence.
According to the charge, Mohammad Amirul was found to have administered dangerous drugs, namely amphetamine and methamphetamine, to himself at the Kuching District Police Narcotics Crime Investigation Department office at about 12.30am on March 5, 2024.
According to the facts of the case, the accused was arrested and escorted to undergo a drug screening test.
An initial screening test conducted by police returned positive results for amphetamine and methamphetamine, leading to his arrest under Section 15(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Subsequent laboratory analysis conducted by the Pathology Department of Sarawak General Hospital confirmed that the urine sample contained both prohibited substances.
In delivering the decision after the close of the defence stage, the court noted that the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case after calling seven witnesses during the trial.
The accused, who is a lecturer at a technical training institution here, was then ordered to enter his defence, during which he was the sole defence witness.
However, the court held that the accused failed to raise a reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case.
Magistrate Nursyaheeqa ruled that the explanation advanced by the accused amounted to bare denial and bare assertion without credible evidence to rebut the presumption under Section 37(k) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 relating to drug consumption.
The court further found that the urine sample collection procedure had been properly complied with and there was no break in the chain of evidence.
During mitigation on sentence, the prosecution urged the court to consider the rampant nature of drug abuse offences in the country.
Deputy public prosecutor Chuah Kai Sheng submitted that statistics from the National Anti-Drugs Agency showed 192,857 drug abusers were recorded in 2024, while 134,000 cases had already been recorded in the first half of 2025 alone.
He also submitted that the matter had proceeded through a full trial since it was first registered in July 2024, involving considerable judicial time and costs.
The accused was represented by counsel Osman Ibrahim.
