SHAH ALAM, May 20 — An e-hailing driver was sentenced to 30 years in prison and 25 strokes of the cane by the High Court here today after being found guilty of trafficking 24.59kg of cannabis and possessing two other types of drugs weighing 10.4g.
Judge Datuk Seri Latifah Mohd Tahar ordered K. Prakash, 43, who also sells fireworks, to serve his sentence from the date of his arrest on April 22, 2021.
She said the court found that the accused's defence was a bare denial without any supporting evidence that the drugs found were not in his possession, custody or control.
During the defence, only the accused gave evidence, while several friends who were jointly charged were not called as witnesses to confirm that he had no connection to the drugs.
"The accused's own ex-wife was a prosecution witness, and the court found her to be a credible witness whose testimony should be accepted by the court.
"The amount of drugs can be considered for distribution purposes because such a large quantity would be impossible for personal use. Therefore, the defence has failed to raise a reasonable doubt against the prosecution's case," Judge Latifah said at the conclusion of the defence case.
For the first charge, Prakash was accused of trafficking 24,588.5g of cannabis at an apartment in Bandar Sri Damansara, Petaling, on April 22, 2021, and charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
For the second and third charges, he was accused of possessing monoacetylmorphines and heroin, weighing 6.4 g and four g respectively, at the same location and date, under Section 12(2) of the same Act.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohammed Heikal Ismail had sought the death penalty for the accused, citing the seriousness of the case as drugs remain the nation's number one enemy.
During his appeal, Prakash, represented by a lawyer, was seen crying as he pleaded for a lighter sentence, having not seen his family, especially his child, for a long time.
