SHAH ALAM: An Iranian man was sentenced to death for trafficking 1,001g of methamphetamine at KL International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang in June last year.
High Court Judge Datuk Wira Mohtarudin Baki meted out the sentence after finding Rouhollah Ahmadzadeh Irandoust, 50, guilty of committing the offence at the passenger inspection unit of KLIA arrival hall at 3.50am on June 14, last year.
Rouhollah, represented by Gooi Soon Seng, was charged under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries the mandatory death sentence.
Mohtarudin said the accused, in his defence, had denied that he was the one who brought the luggage containing the drug while arriving at KLIA and claimed that it was his friend, Mushtaba, who carried the bag.
“The accused claimed that while he and Mushtaba were told to scan the luggage, his friend went out to smoke. They were later taken to the Customs’ inspection centre after the scan showed the image of a suspicious object,” he said.
However, the judge said, testimonies from the prosecution’s witnesses showed that it was the accused who took out a key for the luggage and that the clothing inside the bag was consistent with his size.
“This goes to show that the accused had knowledge about the drug and had the intention to commit the offence,” he said, adding that the defence failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case.
Seven prosecution witnesses and two defence witness were called throughout the trial. — Bernama