Mom and son among five charged for drug distribution

The accused, Tay Khai Seng, 34 (second from right), Wang Chei Wei, 41 (centre) and Chan Siew Han, 60 (second from left) being escorted to the courtroom.

JOHOR BARU: Five people, including a mother-and-son and a couple, were slapped with two charges at the Magistrate Court here for drug distribution.

The accused - Wang Chei Wei, 41, and his mother Ah Yee Hwa, 62 - together with their friends Chan Siew Han, 60, Tay Khai Seng, 34, and Yup Zu Jin, 28, only nodded their heads in acknowledgment after the charges were read to them in front of Magistrate Hidayatul Syahida Shamsuddin on Tuesday (Jan 23).

No plea was recorded for all the accused.

According to the charge sheets, all of the accused were found distributing 16.4kg of methylenedioxy-methamphetamine and 7.7kg of cannabis.

The act was allegedly committed at a house in Jalan Idaman Utama of Taman Larkin Idaman here at 5.30am on Jan 10.

The accused, Yup Zu Jin, 28 (in brown) together with Ah Yee Hwa, 62 (behind) and three other individuals being brought to the courtroom at the Magistrate's Court in Johor on Tuesday.

The charges, framed under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and punishable under Section 39B(2) of the same Act, carries the death penalty or life imprisonment with no fewer than 15 strokes of the cane upon conviction.

Meanwhile, Wang also faces another three charges for possessing 1.77g of methamphetamine, 0.59g of nimetazepam and 4.93g of cannabis.

The first and second charges were framed under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, while the third charge was framed under Section 6 of the same Act.

Deputy public prosecutor Nur Aqillah Ahmad Rofaei prosecuted.

Tay and his wife Yup were represented by Jihad Syahida Nadia Zakaria and Nurhazneena Zureen Jaesleen Mohamad Hanafiah, while the rest of the accused were not represented.

The court set April 23 for mention pending the submission of the chemical report.

It was reported that the mother, her son and another man were arrested following the seizure of drugs worth over RM1mil in separate raids in Iskandar Puteri and here between Jan 10 and 14.

Johor police chief Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said the main suspect has a total of 46 criminal records in crime and drugs, and that he was also wanted for six other cases.