GEORGE TOWN: The case of five Indonesian boat crewmen charged with drug trafficking has been transferred to the High Court.

Magistrate Mohamad Amin Shahul Amid granted the transfer during the case management after DPP Khuzaima Dolfatah, from the Customs Department, made the application.

They were charged on Sept 22 last year with two counts of trafficking in 10.75kg of methamphetamine in the first charge and 11.32kg of methylenedioxymethamphetamine in the second charge.

Five amended charges were read out by the court translator to M. Yusuf, Mawardi, Sofyan Ali, Alamsyah Piah and Abdullah Mohd yesterday.

In their first two amended charges, the five are alleged to have trafficked in 5.8kg of methamphetamine and 4.8kg of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) respectively at the Customs jetty in Weld Quay at 10pm on Sept 8 last year.

Under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, the offences carry the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

No plea was recorded.

The five men were also slapped with two amended charges for drug possession amounting to 0.37g of ketamine and 0.05g of nimetazepam respectively.

They denied the offences under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act that provides for a minimum jail sentence of five years and not fewer than 10 strokes of the rotan.-thestar