Drug trial of French man, 2 M'sians hits setback after cannabis not produced
ALOR STAR: The trial of a French national and two Malaysians hit a minor setback after authorities failed to present 1.9kg of cannabis as evidence.
The directive came after a police storekeeper from the Langkawi district police headquarters failed to produce the seized drugs.
Judge Evawani Farisyta Mohammad instructed the witness to return tomorrow to resume his testimony.
"Just bring everything." Evawani told the witness.
The trial, scheduled to span four days, will continue at 2pm, with four prosecution witnesses expected to testify.
Proceedings are being conducted with the assistance of a French interpreter.
The accused — French national Tom Félix, Muhammad Rusydan Danyal Hussain, 34, and Nor Puteri Farrah Awang, 32 — are jointly facing seven charges under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Initially charged at the Langkawi Magistrates' Court in 2023, the case was later transferred to the Alor Setar High Court.
All three pleaded not guilty when the case was brought up for mention in June last year.
They face three charges under Section 39B of the Act for drug trafficking, which carries the death penalty or, at the court's discretion, life imprisonment along with a minimum of 15 strokes of the cane.
In addition, Tom faces a separate charge under Section 6 of the same Act.
According to the charge sheets, the trio allegedly trafficked three separate quantities of cannabis — 384.8 grammes, 377.7 grammes, and 983.6 grammes — as stated in the first three counts.
They also face one charge for possession of 68.2 grammes of cannabis, along with three further charges for possession of 46.5 grammes of the same substance.
Tom also faces a charge for possession of an additional 11.7 grammes of the drug.
The arrests were made during a raid at 5.40pm on Aug 9 last year at a house along Jalan Batu Asah in Kuah, Langkawi.
During the operation, Rusydan and Farrah were found in the upstairs living area, while Tom was discovered lying on a mattress in a second-floor bedroom.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Rizal Fadzil is leading the prosecution.
Rusydan is represented by Kumar & Co., Farrah by M. Thanakumaran & Shan, and Tom by lawyer Collin Andrews.
Tom's parents, Sylvie and Jean-Luc Félix — both schoolteachers — were present in court, along with the families of the two Malaysian accused.
The trio, dressed in white shirts and in handcuffs, appeared solemn in the dock.
Tom, in particular, looked visibly frail and is said to have lost a significant amount of weight since his arrest.
As the proceedings concluded, Tom was briefly reunited with his parents, who appeared emotional.
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