Debt collector sentenced to death for drug trafficking
GEORGE TOWN: A debt collector was sentenced to death by the High Court here yesterday after he was found guilty of trafficking in drugs, three years ago.
Judicial Commissioner Datuk Abdul Wahab Mohamed handed down the sentence on Keow Sze Teve, 36, after finding that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubts at the end of the defence case.
In his judgement, Abdul Wahab said the accused testimonies were mere denial.
“In his testimony, the accused said that his wife who was the defence witness had only sent him to a place for gambling and the car they were in was borrowed from a friend.”
“However the police had found the drugs and pistols as well as the birth certificate of the accused inside the car,” he said.
Keow was also sentenced to eight years' jail and ordered to be given six strokes of the cane for possession of a Coughar 8000FT pistol and five years' jail for illegal possession of 12 RA1 10 Luger 9MM bullets.
The court ordered him to serve the sentences concurrently from the date of his arrest on June 19, 2015.
Abdul Wahab also sentenced Keow to another eight years' jail and six strokes of the cane for possessing a Pietro Beretta Gardone VT branded pistol as well as four years' jail for illegal possession of 32 S&B 9X9 bullets and 15 S&B 40 S&W bullets.
The court ordered the accused to serve the sentences after he completed serving time for the first two charges.
For the first two charges, Keow was accused of trafficking 512.2g and 474g of methamphetamine at Jalan Impian Ria, Taman Impian Ria, Machang Bubok, Seberang Perai Tengah here at 2am on June 19, 2015.
The charge, under Section 39B (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952 carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.