KUCHING: The Magistrates’ Court here today fined a 50-year-old man RM6,300, with 14 months’ imprisonment in default, after he pleaded guilty to possessing dangerous drugs and administering the substance to himself four years ago.
Chen Hon Chung admitted to both charges when they were read before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan.
For the first offence, Chen was charged under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and punished under Section 12(3) of the same Act for possession of a dangerous drug.
The provision carries a maximum penalty of a RM100,000 fine, up to five years’ imprisonment, or both.
He was also convicted under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for administering the drug to himself, an offence punishable under Section 15(1) of the same Act, which provides for a fine of up to RM5,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both upon conviction.
Upon completion of his sentence, the court ordered Chen to undergo police supervision for a period of two years.
According to the facts of the case, Chen was arrested by police officers at about 12.05 am on January 28, 2022, at a residence near Jalan Datuk Stephen Yong, after he was suspected of being involved in illegal drug activities.
During the arrest, police discovered 0.31 gramme of methamphetamine hidden in his pants.
The seized substance was later sent to the Chemistry Department Malaysia for laboratory analysis, while Chen’s urine sample was submitted to the Pathology Department of Sarawak General Hospital for testing.
Laboratory results later confirmed that the seized substance contained 0.31 gramme of methamphetamine, while the urine screening showed that Chen tested positive for both amphetamine and methamphetamine.
Following the findings, Chen was convicted for drug possession under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and for self-administration of dangerous drugs under Section 15(1)(a) of the same Act.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor, Ahmad Fauzulufti Suriani, while Chen was unrepresented.
