'BOSS TOLD US TO KEEP DRUGS AS REWARD'

'Boss told us to keep drugs as reward'

KUANTAN: A police constable stunned those present at the High Court yesterday when he said that his superior told him that he and his team-mates could take four packages of drugs as a reward for their hard work.

Testifying at a trial involving the country's biggest syabu haul, Constable Mohd Ann Abdul Karim said his superior Corporal Abdul Isa Manaf told him and two others in his team to move four black plastic packages from a lorry and hide them at some nearby bushes.

"He told us that we could take the boxes as a reward for our hard work," he said.

Ann said he carried two of the packages while his colleagues, Lance Corporal Wan Azhar Wan Sulaiman and Lance Corporal Ridzuan Mohd Khalil, carried one each before placing them in the bushes.

When cross-examined by the lead defence counsel Datuk V. Sithambaram, Ann said there were four police personnel at the scene before four others arrived with Isa about 7am on May 2 last year.

He also admitted that disciplinary action was taken against eight of them for their actions.

Ann said he knew the packages contained valuable items but did not expect them to be drugs.

He agreed with Sithambaram that the sale or profit gained from the sale of the items would be shared among the eight, including Isa.

Ann admitted that after knowing the contents of the packages about 30 minutes later, he did not make any attempt to put them back in the lorry as he was afraid.

"Only on May 4, when the eight of us regretted our actions, we decided to inform the investigating officer Assistant Superintendent Idrus Ismail about the four packets. It was Ridzuan who informed Idrus and when we returned the drugs, no statement was recorded from us," he said, adding he had no idea who had gone to retrieve the four packets from the bushes.

When deputy public prosecutor Jamil Aripin asked why they did not go against Isa, Ann said they unanimously agreed to follow Isa's instruction without any objection.

Judicial commissioner Datuk Akhtar Tahir fixed Aug 24 for continuation.