Twenty-one people, including 19 Indian nationals, were charged in a magistrate’s court here with trafficking 266.46kg of ketamine early this month.

All of them were charged with trafficking the drug at JLM Plastic Recycling Trading in Sungai Tiram, Ulu Tiram, near here, around 4.10am on Aug 3.

During yesterday’s proceedings, the 21 accused nodded that they understood the charge after it was read out in Tamil but no plea was recorded.

The 19 foreigners are Manaf Kamarudeen, 35, Gireeshlal Nadarajan Santhama, 41, Nihas Aboul Rahuman, 40, Ajaya Kumar Chandran Pillai Jayalakshmi, 47, Sudheer Kamaludeen, 36, Vishnu Mohanan Pillai, 23, Saju Sathyan, 38, Palpandi Mookka Thevar, 34, Ajayan Pushpakaran, 26, Vishnu Raghu, 25, Niyaskhan Abdul Manaf, 22, Ashraful Khalq Naizam, 31, Shafeek Shareef, 34, Suheer Azeez, 31, Manu Mohanan Pillai, 25, Jayesh Sasidharan, 30, Murali Navakodi,47, Lam Abdul Vaheed, 30, and Rashudeen Sayudeen, 47.

The two locals are N. Ramakrish-nan, 40 and A. Herman Kumar Pillai, 27.

They were charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and are punishable under Section 39B(2) of the same Act.

The charge was read out together with Section 34, which carries a mandatory death sentence.

Magistrate Mohd Azlan Shah Mohd fixed Sept 13 for the next mention while waiting for the chemistry report.

DPP Fithril Hakim Ab Jalil prosecuted the case while the two Malaysians were represented by lawyer V. Varunnath.

Source:
courtesy of THE STAR

by THESTAR.COM

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