The court offered no bail and fixed Feb 2 for mention in the case of 72 kg of cannabis buds, worth an estimated RM6 million, found in a Toyota Wish MPV.
ALOR SETAR: A man was charged at the Magistrate’s Court here today with trafficking 72 kilogrammes (kg) of cannabis by the roadside near the Alor Setar South Toll Plaza last month.
The accused, Muhammad Faiz Nazri, 26, nodded to indicate he understood the charge read before Magistrate Eliana Ismail, however, no plea was recorded as drug trafficking cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
According to the charge sheet, the man allegedly trafficked 72,000 grammes of cannabis, a dangerous drug by the roadside after the Alor Setar South Toll Plaza here at approximately 6:30 pm on Sept 24.
The charge was brought under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39B(2) of the same Act.
Upon conviction, the accused faces the death penalty or life imprisonment; if not sentenced to death, he must also be punished with whipping of not less than 12 strokes.
The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Nur Sharmila Md Asri, while the accused was not represented.
The court did not offer bail and set Feb 2 next year for the case mention.
Media reports previously stated that the suspect was arrested following the discovery of 72 kg of cannabis buds estimated to be worth RM6 million inside a Toyota Wish multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in an accident on the North-South Expressway near here on Sept 24.