12 YEARS AND 10 STROKES FOR ECSTASY POSSESSION

JOHOR BARU: A salesman was sentenced to 12 years' jail and ordered to be given 10 strokes of the rotan by the High Court here yesterday for possession of 3,643 Ecstasy pills.

High Court judge Datuk Justice Azhar Maah passed the sentence after Tan Wing Keat, 28, pleaded guilty to possession of 3,643 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) pills at number 08-06, Block B, Datin Halimah Condominium in Jalan Datin Halimah here at about 3.30am on March 3 last year.

Tan was charged under Section 39A(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries 20 years' jail and not less than 10 strokes of the rotan if convicted.

Prior to sentencing, DPP Abdul Rashid asked for a deterrent sentence, saying possession of Ecstasy was a serious offence.

"The court should take into consideration the negative effects (of the pills) as they not only affect our health but also our way of life.

"Ecstasy is a social problem that we are facing and I urge the court to impose a deterrent sentence,'' he said.

In mitigation, Lee submitted that Tan was the eldest in the family and was the sole breadwinner.

He added that Tan had no previous conviction.

According to the facts of the case, acting on a tip-off, a team led by Insp Charun Aii Been from the Narcotics Department had stopped a car driven by a man in Jalan Tebrau at about 3am.

Upon inspection, they seized a parcel containing two packets containing 500 pills suspected to be Ecstasy.

The police later raided the suspect's house where they seized 500 pills bundled in three packets and two other packets suspected to contain 200 Ecstacy pills.

Police also seized five more packets suspected to contain 2,943 Ecstasy in a bag--also in the apartment.

The 500 pills found in the car were not included in the principal charge but in an alternative charge.