Kuala Lumpur:The High Court has sentenced a couple to 30 years in prison for trafficking 173kg of methamphetamine, an offense committed four years ago.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Judge Nurulhuda Nur'aini Mohamad Nor delivered the sentence to Adam Tan Seng Tek, 34, and Vietnamese national Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, 33. The court found that the defense failed to raise reasonable doubt, leading to the couple's conviction.

The couple was accused of jointly trafficking 172,741.10g of methamphetamine at a condominium unit at Residensi Kiara Jalil 1 on February 24, 2022, at 930 pm. The court ordered the prison sentence to commence from the date of their arrest. Additionally, Tan received 12 strokes of the cane.

They were charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, in conjunction with Section 34 of the Penal Code. This legislation mandates either the death penalty or life imprisonment and not fewer than 12 strokes of the cane if the death penalty is not applied.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Goh Ai Rene advocated for a stringent sentence, emphasizing the substantial drug quantity of 172.74kg involved in the case. She highlighted the significance of public interest and noted that Nguyen, a foreign national, committed the crime in Malaysia. She stressed that drug offenses threaten national security, public order, and public health, reminding that drugs were declared the country's chief enemy in 1983.

Lawyer Kee Wei Loon, representing the accused, argued for life imprisonment, noting a trend away from the death penalty in similar cases, with courts opting for life imprisonment instead.