MUAR: Three men, including a Myanmar-national, were charged in the magistrate's court here today with trafficking over 11 kilogrammes of cannabis last week.
The accused, Mohd Faidz Husaini, 40, a mechanic, and Ridhwan Zulhilmi Hasan, 37, nodded after the charge was read before magistrate Suzana Mokhtar.
The third accused, Shwe Aung, 32, will have his case mentioned on Jan 2, pending the availability of a Myanmar interpreter as he did not understand Bahasa Melayu.
No pleas were recorded for Faidz and Ridhwan as the case fell under the High Court's jurisdiction.
According to the charge, the trio were allegedly found in possession of 11,497 grammes of cannabis in Jalan Muafakat, Kampung Temiang Bukit Treh, at 10.30pm on Nov 16.
They were charged under Section 39B (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code. If convicted, the accused faces the death penalty or life imprisonment, with whipping of up to 15 strokes if spared the death sentence.
Deputy public prosecutor Nur Aqillah Ahmad Rofaie prosecuted, while the accused were unrepresented.
The court denied bail and set Jan 2 to receive the chemist report and to arrange for an interpreter for Shwe Aung.
Earlier, Muar police chief Assistant Commissioner Raiz Mukhliz Azman Aziz revealed that the suspects had used clandestine routes to smuggle the drugs.
A search of their vehicle uncovered the cannabis, a pistol and 15 rounds of ammunition.
Preliminary investigations established that the drugs were smuggled in from a neighbouring country for distribution in Muar, Melaka and surrounding areas.
All three suspects were tested positive for drug use, while one of them had six records, including five drug offences.