Kuala Lumpur: An Indian national was Wednesday
sentenced to death and another given five years in jail by a
Malaysian court after they were found guilty of trafficking in
illegal ketamine drug.
The Penang High Court sentenced Habeeb Nashtar Abdul
Mutalif, 51, who worked at a restaurant here, to death for
trafficking in 12 kg of ketamine, also known as party drug.
It also jailed factory worker M Sathianarayanan, 44,
for five years and fined him RM100,000 (Rs 15 lakh) for
possessing 11 kg of ketamine.
Habeeb Nashtar was charged with committing the offence at
the Special Passenger-Check Unit at the arrival hall of the
Penang International Airport in March last year.
Judicial Commissioner Nurmala Salim, in her decision,
said the defence had failed to raise a reasonable doubt
against the prosecution`s case.
"The accused did not know who would be receiving the
goods (ketamine in his possession) when he arrived in Penang.
He did not have any telephone number or the name of the person
or coffee shop supposedly meant to receive the goods. He
should have known," she said.
She also dismissed the defence`s contention that the
accused was an innocent carrier, saying it could not be
accepted.
In the same court, Sathianarayanan, who was charged with
trafficking in 11kg of ketamine at the airport`s arrival hall
on March 10 last year, received the maximum jail sentence of
five years.
Sathianarayanan, who had initially been charged with drug
trafficking, pleaded guilty when the alternative charge was
read to him in Tamil in the case.
PTI
