KUCHING: The Sessions Court here sentenced a local man to five years in prison and two strokes of the cane for repeated drug abuse involving methamphetamine and amphetamine.
Mohammad Syukri Ismail, 33, pleaded guilty before Judge Saiful Bahari Adzmi to the charge under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39C(1)(b) of the same Act.
Upon conviction, Section 15(1)(a) provides for a fine of up to RM5,000 or imprisonment of up to two years, or both. Meanwhile, Section 39C (1)(b) carries a prison sentence of up to seven years and up to three strokes of the cane, if convicted.
The offence occurred at the Kuching Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division (NCID) at around 12.05pm on March 20 last year. Syukri was found to have abused prohibited drugs despite having three records of similar offences.
The court also ordered that Syukri be placed under police supervision for two years after completing his prison sentence.
According to the case facts, police arrested a local man believed to be involved in repeated drug abuse activities. An initial urine test found that Syukri was positive for drugs.
The test was later confirmed by a report from the Pathology Department of the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), which identified methamphetamine and amphetamine in his system.
Deputy public prosecutor Cynthia Emmelda Jerry prosecuted the case, while Syukri was not unrepresented by counsel.
