TAWAU, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The High Court today sentenced a man to life imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to trafficking over six kilogrammes of Methamphetamine at Tawau Airport two years ago.
Hii Sieng Kang, 31, was scheduled to stand trial for four days starting today, but made the guilty plea before Judicial Commissioner Steve Ritikos.
Ritikos then ordered the sentence to take effect from the date of his arrest on July 30, 2024.
The accused was charged with trafficking 6,968.6 grammes of Methamphetamine at the Arrival Terminal of Tawau Airport at 12.30 pm on July 30, 2024.
He was charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment and a minimum of 15 strokes of the cane.
According to the facts of the case, a customs officer at the passenger inspection area noticed the accused acting suspiciously and directed him to scan a black bag he was carrying.
The scan revealed suspicious images, and a subsequent inspection found the bag contained blue packets of Methamphetamine.
Deputy public prosecutor Arif Mohamad Shariff from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department appeared for the prosecution, while lawyer Vivian Thien represented the accused.
-- BERNAMA