VAN DRIVER GETS DEATH FOR TRAFFICKING

JOHOR BARU: A 30-year-old former van driver was sentenced to death
for drug trafficking by a High Court here.

Mohd Rizal Mohd Jamil, from Kangkar Tebrau, had been charged with
trafficking 766.6g of cannabis at around 7pm on Feb 7, 2006 at the
Tebrau industrial area in Kangkar Tebrau, Plentong.

High Court Judicial Commissioner Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh said the
defence had failed to cast reasonable doubt over the prosecution's case.

In his judgement, he accepted the evidence tendered by the police
over the drugs, which had been found in the car Mohd Rizal had been driving.

He also rejected defence counsel A. Vimala's argument that Mohd
Rizal's statement when he was arrested was a confession, but said
the accused was merely providing the police with information.

Vimala had argued that when police had arrested Mohd Rizal, her
client had confessed that there were illegal goods in his car.

She said that the confession should not be admissible in court, as
the police had not properly cautioned the suspect at that time.

Mohd Zawawi also ruled that Mohd Rizal knew about the drugs as they
were kept in plain view in the accessory compartment of the car next
to the steering wheel.

He said that he had no other choice but to pass the mandatory death sentence.