Fadley Faisal
The Magistrate’s Court on Thursday handed a one year and three months’ jail sentence to a 32-year-old local man and ordered him to settle a fine of BND1,500 after he pleaded guilty to charges of flouting the Supervision Order due to drug consumption.
Senior Magistrate Harnita Zelda Skinner ordered Azri bin Haji Jali to serve a total of one year and six months’ jail after he confirmed to not be able to settle the fine.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) investigations revealed that Azri, unemployed, was placed under the Supervision Order in October last year after being arrested and investigated by the NCB in one of the syndicated drug trafficking bust called ‘Ops Bulls Eye’.
One of the conditions imposed on the defendant was not to be found anywhere or with anyone believed to be involved in drug activities or other crimes for a period of 12 months, and yet on February 23 at 12.30am, a raid conducted by officers from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Tutong Branch at the defendant’s house in RPN Bukit Beruang, Tutong resulted in his arrest along with a friend, believed to be involved in drug activities.
NCB officers seized from the defendant’s possession 4.39 grammes of drugs believed to be syabu, a utensil believed to be used for consuming the same drug, empty plastic packets, a digital weighing scale and BND612 cash believed to be proceeds from the sale of drugs.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Dayangku Didi-Nuraza binti Pengiran Haji Abdul Latiff further revealed that the defendant’s friend admitted that he had gone to the defendant’s house that night to buy syabu from the defendant and would consume it together with the defendant.
Following this information, the defendant’s urine sample was taken by the Narcotics Control Bureau and sent for analysis by the Department of Scientific Services, whose lab report showed that the defendant’s urine sample taken on February 23 contained methylamphetamine, a Class A controlled drug.
Meanwhile, the NCB warned those undergoing a Supervision Order to adhere and comply with all the conditions and restrictions imposed, or risk being levelled with charges carrying penalties of mandatory imprisonment.
