MUAR: Locksmith Gan Tze Chie has escaped the hangman’s noose after he was acquitted of a drug charge here.

       An elated Gan said he hoped to spend time with his family and return to his old profession as a locksmith.

       Earlier, High Court judge Justice Halijah Abbas, in acquitting Gan, said the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case and failed to show that the accused had knowledge about the drugs found in his building.

       She also said that the defence was able to show that the building where the drugs were found was accessible to others with keys to the premises.

       Gan was charged with two counts of trafficking 0.552kg of methamphetamine and 0.1kg of heroin at Jalan Perdagangan 10, Pusat Perdagangan Tangkak at 10.15pm on April 6.

       He was charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

       Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Azfar Mahmod prosecuted the case while Gan was represented by lawyers G. Subramaniam Nair, Nurfatin Amirah and Selvanteran Segaran.