Singapore — Muhammad Haikal Mohamadan has been given a nine-year jail sentence for drug-related offences. He was found to have 2.4 kg of cannabis in his flat at Jurong West in 2019, which he claimed he used to treat his back pain that he got from his job as a commercial driver.
His sentence, meted out on in State Courts on Monday (Oct 25), was given after Haikal pleaded guilty to three charges including drug consumption, possession of a Class A controlled drug and possession of drug utensils, with an additional charge considered in sentencing.
Last year, the High Court sentenced his co-accused, Muhammad Shahrukh Khan Mohamed Rosli, to 27 years’ jail and the maximum of 24 strokes of the cane. Sharukh was convicted for drug trafficking, having sold cannabis for S$200 for about 50g of the drug. He also helped a man they knew as “Ah Bang” deliver drugs.
Haikal first purchased marijuana worth S$100 from Sharukh in January 2019. Sometime later the two men met again since Sharukh asked him to hold on to around 350g of cannabis, having explained that he didn’t want to get caught with a large amount of drugs in his car.
But Shahrukh was arrested at Jurong West on Mar 15, 2019, by Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) agents who had gotten wind that he was selling drugs.
Earlier that day, Shahrukh and Haikal had met again. Haikal obtained equipment from Shahrukh to grind marijuana, and at the same time left five blocks of the drug for safekeeping with Haikal.
CNB officers arrested Haikal in his flat also on Mar 15, finding drugs in several places, even though he had already thrown one cannabis block out the window after hearing of his friend’s arrest.
All in all, seven blocks, eight packets, and loose vegetable matter containing at least 2.4 kg of cannabis were found in his flat. A urine sample from Haikal showed a cannabinol derivative.
The commercial driver admitted that he had begun smoking marijuana in 2018 to relieve back pains, but limited himself to smoking one stick on weekdays.
CNA reports lawyer, Amarick Gill, as saying, ”Haikal was forthcoming in admitting that he had a habit of smoking ‘marijuana’. He only smoked it to relieve him from the radiating pain he experienced as a commercial diver and not for anything sinister or nefarious.”
Mr Gill asked for an eight-year jail sentence for his client, while the prosecution said he should get a ten-year sentence, the maximum time for the offence of possessing a Class A controlled drug without authorisation.
Haikal’s nine-year jail sentence was backdated by the judge to March 2019, as he has spent the time since then in custody.
His lawyer added that Haikal claimed ignorance concerning how many cannabis blocks Shahrukh had given him for safekeeping, and added that the married father of three had a difficult childhood and had run afoul of the law in his youth, but managed to turn things around during his time of national service and later became a commercial driver.
“He understands that there were other avenues in which he could have sought to alleviate his pain, but he made foolish and incalculable choices that have landed him in the predicament he is in,” added Mr Gill.
Along with his jail term, he could have also been made to pay a maximum fine of S$20,000. /TISG
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