14/12/2025

NATIONAL 5 theSun on Sunday DEC 14, 2025

Call to allow drug mules to trade intel for penalty relief

G. Logeswaran, 29. Police previously said one of the men had 39 criminal and drug-related records, while another had 12, and the trio were linked to the Geng Durian Tunggal, responsible for armed robberies that caused losses amounting to RM1.35 million. The families have disputed the police account of the shooting incident, citing digital evidence that include phone records and an audio recording allegedly captured during the incident. The recording was submitted to Bukit Aman on Dec 7 and received by Classified Crime Investigation Unit head Supt Ta Kah Loon for further investigations. Revenge motive linked to murder case SEREMBAN: A shooting incident inside a car that left a man dead along Jalan Rasah– Mambau towards the Port Dickson toll plaza on Wednesday is believed to have been motivated by revenge linked to secret society activities. Negeri Sembilan police chief Datuk Alzafny Ahmad said three men have been detained to assist in investigations, and a pistol along with several rounds of ammunition were seized. “We are still tracking down suspects and witnesses to assist in the investigation, and statements from seven individuals have been taken.” In the incident at about 7.30am, the 43-year-old victim died while receiving treatment at Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital, while a 47-year-old man was injured after being shot by two suspects on a motorcycle. “Police believe the case was driven by revenge. The victim was the bodyguard of the man who was injured in the incident, who is suspected to be a leader of a secret society group,” he told Bernama yesterday. In a separate development, Alzafny said no reports or information have been received regarding an incident involving a man who was injured while searching for petai in a forested area of Kampung Maasop in Senaling on Friday. “Police are tracking down the individuals involved. We do not rule out the possibility of illegal hunting activities in forests in this state,” he said. On Friday, Kuala Pilah police chief Supt Muhamad Mustafah Hussin said at the time of the incident, the 47-year-old victim was alone at the location before being hit by buckshot in his right side and back areas. The self-employed victim was reported to be in stable condition, he said.

Credible information from couriers helps authorities trace and nab perpetrators behind trafficking syndicates: Lawyer

legally married to the deceased, but had been living with him for three years. Dzulkhairi also said the woman had 10 criminal records dating back to 2012, and that her 55-year old father had 24 criminal records and was still wanted by police. He also said Malacca police are no longer involved in the shooting case as it is being investigated by a special unit under Bukit Aman. Dzulkhairi added that separate criminal cases involving the woman’s father remain under Malacca police jurisdiction. The three men killed in the Nov 24 incident were identified as T. Pooneswaran, 24, M. Puspanathan, 21 and discharge, the conviction, which carried a life sentence and 12 strokes of caning. On June 1, 2021, Customs officers retrieved a suspicious parcel at the Pos Malaysia KLIA courier counter after receiving information about its contents. The parcel originated from Germany and was addressed to an individual identified as Mohammad Abdu. However, investigations did not focus on this person, and it is still unclear whether the name stated exists. The courier delivery officer contacted the telephone number on the parcel label and acting on instructions from an unidentified woman, proceeded with Customs officers to deliver the package to Jalan Metro Perdana Barat in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, at a roadside location opposite Aeon Big Kepong. A Nigerian man, later identified as Ezeobi, arrived at the location, received the parcel and was immediately arrested. He was subsequently charged with trafficking the drugs found in the package. He was 28 at the time and employed at a clothing import warehouse. “The unfortunate part is also that taxpayer funds were used to send him through trial and to lock him up in prison for five years. But not enough resources were spent on investigating the real culprits,” said Vignesh, who also represented Ezeobi, together with lawyer Ooi Hong Ming. Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said between January and September, 55 Malaysians, comprising 50 men and five women, were detained abroad for allegedly acting as drug mules in countries such as Belgium, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. overturning

Ű BY T.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: Remarks by Malacca police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar on the personal background of one of the victim’s partner in the Durian Tunggal shooting incident are irrelevant, as the case is now being investigated by Bukit Aman, said lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan. Rajesh, referring to the case in which three individuals were shot dead by police last month, told theSun that during an event, Dzulkhairi had claimed the woman was not legally married to the deceased and that she had criminal records. PETALING The government should consider introducing a legal mechanism that allows drug mules to provide credible information on trafficking networks in exchange for relief from prosecution under the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA), said a former deputy public prosecutor. Senior lawyer Datuk C. Vignesh Kumar told theSun that the lack of such provisions hampers efforts to dismantle drug syndicates that operate through intermediaries and foreign recruits. He said the issue was evident in a case decided by the Court of Appeal on Dec 11, in which the circumstances of a parcel delivery highlighted how traffickers conceal the real organisers behind multiple layers of the operation. “The masterminds still evade detection while mules are the ones charged. “Individuals, mainly from poor backgrounds and countries, are being used as drug mules by organised syndicates. Arrests and prosecution are difficult as these syndicates are well-organised,” he said. Vignesh pointed out that Malaysia’s current framework lacks any structured incentive for couriers to assist authorities with intelligence capable of tracing networks beyond street-level or courier-level intermediaries. “Credible information from the couriers is what helps authorities trace and nab the real perpetrators behind these syndicates, and this could justify the government considering relief from prosecution for such JAYA: Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Vignesh said Malaysia’s current framework lacks structured incentive for couriers to assist authorities with intelligence capable of tracing networks beyond street level or courier-level intermediaries. – MASRY CHE ANI/THESUN

relate to officers from the same contingent,” he said. Asked if the families had evidence to dispute the claims made by Dzulkhairi, Rajesh said he had not yet received instructions from his clients on the matter. “Our position is that those matters are not relevant to the investigation into the shooting itself, and should not detract from examining the actions of the police officers involved,” he said. Dzulkhairi made the remarks after officiating at the Legasi 04 RXZ X 125 ZR Malacca Attack 2025 event in Ayer Keroh on Friday. He said a 31-year-old woman who claimed to be the wife of one of the men shot dead was not carrying either the death penalty or life imprisonment, together with whipping for trafficking offences. On Thursday, a three-judge panel in the Court of Appeal, led by Datuk Azman Abdullah with Datuk Seri Mohd Firuz Jaffril and Datuk Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid, found that the trial judge had wrongly applied statutory presumptions under the DDA. This resulted in prejudice to the appellant, identified as Ezeobi Arraha Ndubuisi, who had been charged with trafficking 428g of MDMA, also known as ecstasy. The Appeals Court then ordered an acquittal and

“Whether or not they were legally married is completely irrelevant. “It has nothing to do with the shooting and killing of three individuals by police,” Rajesh said via a phone call yesterday. He also questioned why Dzulkhairi issued public statements when the case has been taken over by Bukit Aman. “The investigation is now being handled at the federal level. In that context, it raises questions as to why further public comments are still being made at the state level. “Any public statements should come from the investigating authority to avoid confusion, particularly when the allegations whistleblowers,” he said. Vignesh, who practices at Vignesh Kumar and Associates, said neighbouring Singapore provides a model through its Misuse of Drugs Act, which allows traffickers to receive a Certificate of Substantive Assistance if they provide information that meaningfully disrupts drug trafficking activities. “Malaysia could enact a similar law, which encourages drug mules to give credible information in exchange for prosecution relief under Section 39B,” he said. Section 39B criminalises the trafficking of dangerous drugs,

‘Remarks by Malacca police chief over shooting case irrelevant’