The Federal Court upheld the life imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane imposed on lorry driver M. Mugunthan for trafficking 845 g of cannabis eight years ago.[1][2] Court of Appeal President Abu Bakar Jais with Federal Court judges Nordin Hassan and Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali unanimously dismissed his appeal against conviction and sentence.[1][2]

The offence was committed at a car park of an apartment in Jalan Lengkuas, Shah Alam, at 4.35 p.m. on 10 April 2018, and Mugunthan, 46, has served his sentence from his arrest that day.[2] The High Court convicted him on 16 August 2023, and the Court of Appeal dismissed his first appeal on 14 July last year.[2] The Federal Court held the trial judge made no inconsistent finding on his knowledge of the drugs and that care and control were affirmatively proven.[2]

The same High Court judgment also gave him three years for possessing 1.02 g of methamphetamine and four years plus five strokes for 35.96 g of cannabis.[2]