Remand extended for woman arrested with 18kg of ganja pending chemist’s report

The suspect being escorted by Customs officers.

By Dorcas Ting

KUCHING, May 6: A 27-year-old insurance agent suspected of trafficking 18kg of ganja will remain in the custody of the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (Customs) Sarawak pending a chemist report for the drugs seized.

The 27-year-old female insurance agent was arrested by Customs personnel at the International Arrival Hall of the Kuching International Airport, for trafficking compressed plant leaves believed to be 18,264 grammes of cannabis-type drugs, at about 3.25pm on April 28, 2021.

She had been remanded for seven days beginning April 29 with the remand application expiring today.

Magistrate Zaiton Anuar ordered the remand to be extended and adjourned the case to June 15 for the chemist’s report.

The accused was tentatively charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39B(2) of the same Act, which carries a death sentence or imprisonment for life, upon conviction.

The suspect was returning from Kuala Lumpur on April 28 and stopped by a Customs officer. Further inspection of her two luggage bags led to the discovery of 18 packages wrapped using gift wrapping paper and carbon paper containing compressed plant leaves suspected to be cannabis-type drugs, with an estimated value of RM45,660.

Sarawak Customs director Herman Shah Abdullah on May 3 told the press that the suspect said she was in Kuala Lumpur to care for her mother in a hospital for a week and had been asked by a friend to bring the packages to Kuching with the guarantee of being given a job in a company in Serian district. — DayakDaily