Magistrate Qamarul Affyian bin Abdul Rahman handed a three-year jail sentence to 35-year-old local Mohammad Asznizam bin Mohd Aszmi for drugs consumption and violating a minister’s directives on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Abdul Musawwir bin Haji Mahli’s charges as admitted by the defendant stated that the offences were committed on June 4 and 5. It was revealed that on July 12, 2023, the defendant was placed under a supervision order issued by the minister pursuant to Section 2(b) of the Criminal Law (Preventive Detention) Act, Chapter 150 (CLPD Act). The supervision order was imposed due to the defendant’s suspected involvement in drug-related activities and was set to last for 12 months, starting from July 13, 2023. The supervision order included restrictions under Section 5(1) of the CLPD Act, specifically prohibiting the defendant from being found in places or with individuals suspected of drug-related activities or other crimes.
The details of these restrictions were read and explained to the defendant by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The defendant acknowledged and signed the order, understanding that any breach could result in a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment, with a minimum of one-year imprisonment.
The NCB conducted a raid at a house in Jalan Derma Wangsa, Kampong Mumong in the Belait District on July 4, at about 10.12pm. The defendant, along with three other individuals, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in drug-related activities.
During the raid, the NCB found a black bag on the defendant, which contained a cigarette box with a modified glass tube utensil, believed to be used for drug consumption.
During the investigation, the defendant admitted to visiting the house to hang out with one of the arrested individuals, who he knew was involved in drug activities.
Further investigations revealed that two of the three arrested individuals had admitted to drug consumption prior to the NCB raid. Based on these findings, it was determined that the defendant breached the supervision order by associating with individuals involved in drug-related activities.
As part of the investigation, the defendant was required to provide a urine sample on June 5, which was collected and securely stored for analysis.
The sample was sent to the Department of Scientific Services at the Ministry of Health on June 8 by the NCB. The analysis revealed the presence of methylamphetamine, a Class ‘A’ controlled drug, in the defendant’s urine sample. The defendant also holds a previous conviction on record. – Fadley Faisal
