BATU PAHAT: Two men were fined RM10,000 and sentenced to one day in jail by the magistrate's court here today after pleading guilty to drink driving in separate incidents that occurred in June and Aug.
Furniture trader Tan Chee Wuang, 35, and technician Tan Kian Wee, 39, entered their pleas before magistrate Suhaila Shafi'uddin.
Kian Wee was charged with driving a Volkswagen with a blood alcohol level of 96mg/100ml on Jalan Bukit Pasir at 2am on Aug 23, while Chee Wuang was found driving a BMW with a blood alcohol level of 103mg/100ml — more than double the legal limit of 50mg/100ml — on Jalan Panchor, Parit Besar, at 1.20am on June 30.
Both were charged under Section 45A(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries penalties of up to two years in prison, a maximum fine of RM50,000, and a mandatory driving disqualification for at least two years upon conviction.
According to the case facts, the arrests took place during an operation by the district's Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division, codenamed "Op Mabuk".
Police stopped the vehicles after noticing suspicious behaviour and conducted breathalyser tests, which confirmed both men were intoxicated.
Deputy public prosecutor Farah Wahidah Mohd Sharip handled the prosecution, while the defendants were represented by lawyer Tan Song Yan.
In addition to the fines and jail sentences, the court suspended both men's driving licences for two years, effective immediately.