Federal Court reinstates 30-year jail terms for two men convicted of drug trafficking

A panel of three judges, chaired by Judge Rhodzariah Bujang, concluded that the prosecution successfully demonstrated that Grab driver Azril Azhar Ahmad, 50, and businessman Zulfattar Ridzuan, 44, were involved in cannabis distribution. The Court of Appeal had previously misapplied the law by treating the case as simple possession, even though the seized amount of 264.36 g exceeded the statutory threshold for trafficking under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

Evidence presented included a digital weighing scale, plastic packets, a small knife and a grinder found in the car where the drugs were discovered. Both defendants were arrested on 26 September 2020 after police found the cannabis at Galla Industrial Park in Seremban. The Federal Court reinstated the original 30-year imprisonment and ordered 12 caning strokes for Zulfattar, while Azril is exempt from caning because he is over 50. Their respective legal teams attended the hearing, and the prosecution was represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor How Mei Ling.