SHAH ALAM, May 29 — Two former steamboat restaurant workers were acquitted and freed by the High Court here today after a judge ruled the prosecution failed to secure a key witness sought by the defence in a case involving nearly 150kg of methamphetamine and heroin.
Chan Shi Wei, 29, and Lim Chan Hau, 30, had spent six years in remand over the charges linked to a house in Kota Damansara.
“This failure placed the defence in a disadvantageous position,” Judicial Commissioner Datuk Bhupindar Singh was quoted as saying by news outlet Free Malaysia Today (FMT) in the verdict this afternoon.
The judge said the defence had repeatedly made clear it required the witness’s testimony, but the prosecution only attempted to trace the individual at the eleventh hour despite earlier informing the court the witness was still in the country.
Bhupindar also found the prosecution failed to effectively challenge key aspects of the defence during cross-examination.
He also ruled there were serious doubts over whether the two men had exclusive custody and control of the drugs to support the amended possession charge.
According to FMT, Chan and Lim were charged with trafficking 51.5kg of methamphetamine, or syabu, and 98.25kg of heroin.
The offences were allegedly committed at a house along Jalan Sepah Puteri 5/2 in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, at about 10am on October 5, 2020.
Chan testified that he had gone to the house on his employer’s instructions to collect detergent and bottled water for the restaurant.
Lim maintained the same account throughout the trial, while a raiding officer confirmed detergent and bottled water were found at the premises.
Chan also told the court he was not a tenant of the house and was arrested in the living room, while the drugs were discovered in one of the rooms.
Lim said he was detained by another police team at a security guard post about 100 metres from the house.
The defence lawyer for Chan were Amirul Jamaluddin, while Lim was represented by Damien Chan, Joshua Kevin and Ian Hannibal.
Date: 29 May, 2026 4:05 pm
Source: Malay Mail
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