Kuala lumpur: Eight men pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate's Court here today on charges of possessing ketamine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) at a hotel last week. The accused were locals Ivan Wong Yi Xian, 24, and Chong King Jun, 36, along with six foreigners, Jensen Soh Kah Yi, 34, Yeo Wei Seng, 37, Lam Hoi Leung, 30, Hendry Gunawan, 28, Tang Waei, 41, and Tran Quang Ha, 26.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the first charge against them involved the joint possession of 1.5 grammes of ketamine in a room at a prominent hotel in Brickfields at 4 am on May 24. The second charge included the joint possession of 0.7 grams of MDMA at the same location, time, and date. Both charges are framed under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, and are punishable under Section 12(3) of the same Act. This section provides for a maximum fine of RM100,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both, upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Farhanah Arul Hisham proposed bail of RM7,000 for the local accused, while no bail was suggested for the foreign nationals. Lawyer Roshvinder Singh, representing Wong and Chong from the National Legal Aid Foundation, appealed for lower bail, citing their single status and employment as a beauty shop employee and a salesperson, respectively.

Lawyer Yong Jei Beng, representing the six foreign accused, requested the court to consider bail, arguing that they were in the country as tourists. However, Magistrate Nurul Izzah Hasan Basri granted bail of RM6,000 each with one surety for Wong and Chong, while the foreign nationals were denied bail. The court set August 27 for the mention of the case.