By Marlynda Meraw
KUCHING, April 23: The High Court in Kuching here today has sentenced a man to 18 years’ jail and 20 strokes of the cane, while his two accomplices await two further trials in July.
The accused, Bong Han Hoon was charged with two separate drug trafficking offences under the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) 1952 Section 39B(1)(a) and punishable under subsection 39B(2) of the same Act.
In response to Bong’s appeal for a reduced sentence of six years in prison without caning, presiding Justice Dato Faridz Gohim Abdullah instead increased the prison term to 18 years and doubled the number of strokes to 20.
Meawhile, a request for acquittal has been made for Bong’s two accomplices, Ng Jew Foong and Teo Lip Seng.
The three were arrested at their premise in Jalan Batu Kawa when it was raided by the police on April 26, 2023.
The police subsequently found 53.97 grammes of methamphetamine in their possession, a quantity which was two times more than the minimum prescribed under Section 39A(2) of the DDA.
Following Faridz Gohim’s decision, the prosecutor agreed to withdraw the charges against Ng and Teo under Section 39B(1)(a) of DDA for both cases, with their trial dates to be set in July.
Bong, Ng and Teo were represented by Shankar Ram Asnani and Lai Eddy while DPP Yong Suk Hui prosecuted. — DayakDaily
