Nigerian student sentenced to death over 18.8 kg of cannabis in Alor Setar
The Alor Setar High Court sentenced Nigerian student James Kamara, 23, to death on 14 May 2012 for trafficking 18.81 kg of cannabis found at the Shahab Perdana bus terminal in 2010. The court imposed the mandatory death sentence by hanging.
🇲🇾 Shahab Perdana bus terminal, Alor Setar, Kedah · Malaysia
The High Court in Alor Setar sentenced Nigerian student James Kamara, 23, to death on 14 May 2012 after finding him guilty of trafficking18.81 kilogrammes of cannabis.[1][2]Judicial Commissioner Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab imposed the mandatory sentence of death by hanging under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.[1][2]
Kamara, who held a student visa and studied at a private higher-learning institution in Kuala Lumpur, was convicted over cannabis found at the Shahab Perdana bus terminal in Alor Setar at about 9.05pm on 13 September 2010.[1][2]The prosecution was brought by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, and the court held that Kamara and his defence team had failed to raise a reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case.[2]
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Sarah Dina Baharudin appeared for the prosecution, while Burhanudeen Abdul Wahid represented Kamara.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
On 19 October 2026 the Sibu High Court sentenced Tiong Soon Hieng, 41, to life imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane for trafficking 5,081.06 g of cannabis. Judge Wong Siong Tung declined the death penalty and dated the term from his arrest on 6 January 2023 outside a coffee shop in Bintangor.
Cannabis 5.081 kgPrison life imprisonment and 12 strokes
Kuala Lumpur High Court on 29 September 2026 sentenced Dasham Novada Wickramathunga, 33, to 10 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to an alternative charge over about 2.57 kg of cannabis found at a Jalan Ipoh residence in April 2024.
S. Mohan, 38, and Ahmad Shamil Abdul Rashid, 28, were sentenced to 30 years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane for trafficking 139 kg of cannabis from a Bangsar car park in 2022. The judge found the case proven beyond reasonable doubt; the prosecution had sought the heavy term over the quantity.
Malaysia's Federal Court reinstated the trafficking convictions and 30-year sentences of Azril Azhar Ahmad and Zulfattar Md Ridzuan for 264.36 g of cannabis, after the Court of Appeal had reduced the charge to possession. Both had been released in February 2026.