Kota Kinabalu: A 33-year-old man was jailed nine years and ordered to get 10 strokes of the cane for having 36.25gm of syabu.
Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus handed the sentence to Aril Juma who changed his plea during trial and admitted to the charge against him, Tuesday.
Aril was found having the drug at 1.20pm on April 30, 2024 by the roadside in Kg Lok Bruno in Sepanggar, Manggatal.
The offence, under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act and punishable under Section 39A(2) of the same Act, carries a jail term of between five years and life imprisonment, and whipping of at least 10 strokes, on conviction.
The court ordered Aril to serve the jail sentence from the date of his arrest and referred to the Immigration Department after serving the jail sentence.
During mitigation, Aril who was not represented, asked for a lenient sentence saying that he has one child to look after.
He told the court that he was remorseful and that it was his first offence.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sofia Sawayan pressed for a heavy sentence on the grounds that it was a serious offence.
