Augustine Paul J:

[1] The accused was charged with an offence of trafficking in dangerous drugs in the following terms:

Bahawa kamu pada 14 Ogos 2000 jam lebih kurang 12.15 tengahari, di kawasan tanah rezab jalan keretapi, Jalan Pantai Dalam, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan telah mengedar dadah berbahaya iaitu 795.3 gram cannabis dan oleh yang demikian kamu telah melakukan satu kesalahan di bawah s 39B(1)(a) Akta Dadah Berbahaya 1952 yang boleh dihukum di bawah s 39B(2) Akta yang sama.

[2] He claimed trial to the charge. Briefly stated, the facts of the case are that on 14 August 2000 Inspector Mohamad Alpiyang bin Ali (PW2) led a party of police officers consisting of detectives Abdul Halim bin Haji Man, Razak bin Abdul Majid and Manokaran to a reserve land near the railway track at Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur. They stationed themselves in the vicinity of some squatter houses there. PW2 said that they observed the accused walking suspiciously from the railway track towards them. He saw the accused carrying a plastic bag (exh P3) in his right hand. The accused was about 10 metres away at that time. There was no one else there. The accused tried to enter the reserve land through a hole in a fence which separated the reserve land from the railway track. PW2 shouted "Police" at the accused who was then about three metres away from him. The accused ran immediately and threw the bag that he was carrying. PW2 took possession of the bag from where it was thrown. He said that he is sure that it is the bag that the accused threw. Detective Abdul Halim bin Haji Man chased the accused, arrested him and brought him to PW2. PW2 opened the bag. As he then said:

"Hasil pemeriksaan beg plastik itu yang saya jalankan di dalamnya terdapat dua bungkusan keratan akhbar. Setiap satu bungkusan dibungkus dengan tiga helaian keratan akhbar. Di dalamnya terdapat satu bungkusan plastik yang berisi tumbuhan-tumbuhan kering yang saya syaki dadah ganja.

Saya telah mengarahkan Det/Sjn Halim untuk menggari suspek dan jalankan pemeriksaan ke atas badannya. Tiada barang salah lain yang dijumpai."

[3] The accused and the exhibits were then brought to the Brickfields Police Station. The two packets containing what was suspected to be dangerous drugs were marked as exhs P6 and P7. In his cross-examination PW2 disagreed that the accused was not carrying Exhibit P3. He also denied that he did not make any observation as testified by him. He then said:

"Semasa mengenalkan diri sebagai polis saya berada di kawasan sampah yang terbakar. Saya setuju ada banyak sampah di tempat itu. Apabila OKT hendak melarikan diri beliau terus melepaskan beg plastik tersebut. Saya tidak setuju saya tidak boleh nampak OKT lepaskan beg plastik. OKT membuang beg plastik di tepi pagar. Tidak benar OKT ditangkap oleh Sjn Halim dan selepas ditangkap dibawa ke tempat itu untuk cari sesuatu. Tidak benar OKT dipukul oleh Sjn Halim. Saya tidak setuju OKT tidak berlari dan tidak buang beg plastik."

[4] In his re-examination PW2 said:

"Apabila saya nampak tertuduh melepaskan beg plastik itu pandangan saya tidak terlindung oleh pagar atau pun semak. (Saksi dirujuk kepada ID10A) Pandangan saya dari sini ke landasan keretapi tidak terlindung. Tidak ada tandas di kawasan itu. Sjn Halim tangkap OKT dalam kawasan E di ID8. OKT tiada dipukul."

[5] Chong Yong Kiong (PW4) is a chemist attached to the Chemistry Department, Petaling Jaya. He analysed the contents of exhs P6 and P7 and found them to contain 795.3 grammes of cannabis as defined in s 2 of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. Inspector Benedictson Avina ak Jekes (PW5) and Inspector R Azizan bin Ibrahim (PW1) testified on the custody of the exhibits after they were handed over to them.

[6] In his submission at the close of the case for the prosecution learned counsel for the accused contended that merely because the accused was holding Exhibit P3 does not mean that he was trafficking in it. In any event, he said, the accused was