Drug convict walks free after sentence backdated to 2021 arrest
JOHOR BARU: A former house painter who had spent five years and eight months in custody walked free today after the High Court here sentenced him to four years and six months in jail for possessing four types of dangerous drugs and caffeine in 2021.
Johor Bahru witnessed the release of Tan Heng Lee, a 55-year-old former house painter, who had been incarcerated for five years and eight months. The High Court declared his sentence backdated to the date of his arrest on January 8, 2021. Tan was convicted of possessing four types of dangerous drugs - ketamine, methamphetamine, monoacetylmorphine, and MDMA - as well as caffeine.
This took place at an apartment parking lot in Jalan Tengah, Kampung Sungai Danga. All the sentences were given to run concurrently. The court acknowledged that this was Tan's first offence and he expressed regret for his actions. The drugs were discovered in Tan's trousers while he was undergoing a police inspection.
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