Tom Felix, a 34-year-old French former Veolia executive who had planned to open a restaurant on the resort island of Langkawi, went on trial at the Alor Setar High Court on 16 June 2025.[1][2] He had been arrested in early August 2023 after police found several hundred grams of cannabis in the common area of the home he shared with his Malaysian business partner, who was also arrested.[1][2]

Felix is charged with drug possession and trafficking, which can carry the death penalty in Malaysia; his mother told AFP he faced death or 104 years of cumulative imprisonment, 54 strokes of the cane and a 27,000 euro fine.[1][2] Death sentences are no longer mandatory in Malaysia and no executions have taken place since 2018.[1] The trial was scheduled to end on 19 June, though it was not known whether sentencing would follow immediately.[1]

Felix denies the charges, saying the cannabis belonged to the person he was living with, and one account says that person confessed to being responsible.[2] His family asked French President Emmanuel Macron to intervene during a state visit to Singapore.[1]