PUTRAJAYA: A former Customs officer has escaped the gallows after the charges preferred against him for trafficking in cannabis were reduced to possession of the drugs.
A three-member Federal Court panel led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat sentenced Muhammad Izzuddin Mazri, 31, to 15 years' jail and ordered him to be given 20 strokes of the rotan after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
Justice Tengku Maimun sentenced Muhammad Izzuddin to 15 years' jail and 10 strokes of caning for the first charge of possessing 1.433 kg of cannabis and 10 years' jail and 10 strokes of caning for the second charge of possessing 854. 57 grammes of cannabis.
She ordered Muhammad Izzuddin to serve the sentences concurrently from Sept 30, 2016, the date of his arrest. This means Muhammad Izzuddin will have to serve only 15 years in jail.
The other two judges presiding with Justice Tengku Maimun were Federal Court judges Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang and Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil.
Muhammad Izzuddin pleaded guilty to the offence after the Attorney General's Chambers accepted his representation for the drug trafficking charges to be reduced to possession.
For the first charge, Muhammad Izzuddin was carrying a bag containing the drugs on the side of the road in Jalan Murni 2/2, Taman Langat Murni, Bukit Changgang, Banting, Selangor on Sept 30, 2016.
For the second charge, he committed the offence at an apartment in Taman Langat Murni on the same day.
On Feb 28, 2019, the High Court sentenced Muhammad Izzuddin to death after finding him guilty of trafficking the drugs. His appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on Nov 24, 2021.
Lawyer Kee Wei Lon represented Muhammad Izzuddin while deputy public prosecutor Mohd Khushairy Ibrahim appeared for the prosecution. — BERNAMA