Four, including two Vietnamese women, face capital drug-trafficking charges in Pontian court

PONTIAN, Jan 9 — Two local men and two Vietnamese women were charged at the Magistrate’s Court here today with trafficking and possession of various types of drugs worth RM447,109 allegedly committed on January 1.

The local men, Tan Jin Xiang and Koh Wee Han, both 34, nodded in acknowledgment after the charges were read out before Magistrate Nurhafiza Haron.

However, no plea was recorded as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

The two Vietnamese women, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Bich, 32, and Nguyen Thanh Ngoc, 36, were unable to understand the charges as they were read out in Malay.

According to the charge sheet, the four accused were found to have jointly trafficked methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) with an estimated gross weight of 7,787 grammes, as well as marijuana weighing about 2,569.4 grammes.

They were charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code for joint criminal liability.

Upon conviction, all four face the death penalty or life imprisonment, and if the death sentence is not imposed, a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.

The offence was allegedly committed at a house along Jalan Indah 7, Taman Indah, Jalan Parit Mesjid here at about 12.10am on January 1.

In the same proceedings, all four accused pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing Nimetazepam (also commonly known under the Erimin 5 brand), weighing 25.28 grammes, as well as 24.86 grammes of Ketamine, at the same location and time.

For these offences, they were charged under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and are punishable under Section 12(3) of the same Act, which carries a maximum fine of RM100,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

The two Vietnamese women were also separately charged with administering Ketamine into their own bodies.

These offences were allegedly committed at the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division (NCID) office at the Pontian district police headquarters at about 6.10am on the same day.

The charge was framed under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 15 of the same Act with a maximum jail term of two years or a fine of RM5,000, or both.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Anis Sahira Rosley. All four accused were unrepresented.

The court fixed March 10 for the charges to be read again with the assistance of a Vietnamese interpreter, as well as for the submission of documents, including chemistry and pathology reports.