5 days ago
Death sentence for trio in RM103mil drug haul
JOHOR BARU: The High Court here today sentenced three men to death for trafficking more than 1.48 tonnes of methamphetamine six years ago, part of what was then the country's largest drug haul.
Judge Datuk Abu Bakar Katar handed down the sentence against Pang Ming Siong, 54; Cheng Foot Leong, 46; and Tok Chun Wei, 41, after ruling the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt at the close of their case.
He said the 1,483,962.98g of drugs constituted a huge quantity, and the elaborate concealment in Chinese Guanyinwang tea packets sewn into gunny sacks and hidden in a disused fish pond far from public view were clear indications of an attempt to evade detection.
"The court took into consideration the weight and manner of concealment, and finds those involved deserve the ultimate penalty.
"All three accused were ordered to hang until death, with the execution date to be set," he said.
The trio were found guilty of committing the offence at a fish pond in Jalan Tanah Merah, Taman Desa Cemerlang, at 7.30am on March 19, 2019.
They were charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39B(2) and read with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death sentence.
Deputy public prosecutor Lydia Salleh urged the court to impose the maximum sentence, describing it as a "rarest of the rare" case given the massive drug volume.
The bust, valued at RM103.2 million, was then Malaysia's largest meth seizure, involving 2.06 tonnes of the drug in 2,000 Chinese tea packets.
The joint operation was conducted by the federal and Johor narcotics divisions, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Customs Department.
The men were first charged on March 31, 2019, following the seizure reported on March 22 that year.
