JOHOR BARU: A civil servant and a fisherman have been charged with distributing drugs at a beach in Iskandar Puteri earlier this month.

       No plea was recorded from Ahmad Fadhil Ghazali, 34, and Mohamad Firdauz Ishak, 29, after the charges were read to them in front of Magistrate R. Salini here on Sunday (March 20).

       According to the charge sheet, the duo are accused of distributing 5.3kg of syabu at a beach in Forest City, Iskandar Puteri at about 9pm on March 6.

       The act, an offence under Section 39B(1)(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, carries a death sentence, or life imprisonment with the possibility of at least 15 strokes of the cane, upon conviction.

       The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Nur Aina Syakira Muhammad Syafiq Sim, while the accused were represented by Datuk Abu Bakar Isa Ramat.

       The case was set for mention on May 22 pending a chemical report.

       Earlier, on March 16, The Star reported that nine officers and employees of an enforcement agency, as well as a fisherman, had been detained for drug trafficking.

       It was believed the suspects from the enforcement agency would sell syabu seized in operations to a syndicate before the drugs were smuggled to Indonesia.

       The report quoted Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) chief Comm Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay as saying: "We believe they sold some 50kg of syabu that was seized in an operation along the Strait of Malacca to a drug syndicate based in northern Peninsular Malaysia.

       "The drugs were then distributed to another syndicate based in Banting, Selangor, which attempted to smuggle them to the market in Dumai, Indonesia."

       Comm Ayob Khan said the suspects, aged between 33 and 49, were detained in three raids in Johor Baru and Putrajaya from March 6 to 8.