File photo of marijuana or ganja taken in 2014. A member of the Johor royal family was charged in the Magistrate’s Court here today with three counts of taking methamphetamine and possessing similar drugs and ganja last June. — Reuters pic

PETALING JAYA, Sept 21 — A member of the Johor royal family was charged in the Magistrate’s Court here today with three counts of taking methamphetamine and possessing similar drugs and ganja last June.

Tunku Alang Reza Tunku Ibrahim, 31, pleaded not guilty to the charges read out before Magistrate Nurulhuda Zakariya.

On the first charge, he was charged with taking methamphetamine at the Bandar Utama police station here at 2.20 am on June 4.

The charge, under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 15 and Section 38B of the same act, carries a maximum fine of RM5,000 or two years’ jail or both and to be placed under police supervision for two years.

On the second and third charges, he was charged with possessing 0.9 grammes of ganja and 0.15 grammes of methamphetamine at a unit in Ritz Perdana 2 Condominium, Bandar Damansara Perdana here at noon on the same date.

The charge, under Section 6 of the same act and read together with Section 34 of the same act, carries a fine of up to RM20,000 or a jail term not exceeding five years, or both.

Meanwhile, Tunku Alang Reza’s friend Puteri Nur Zawani Mohd Rasid, 33, also pleaded not guilty to two counts of possessing ganja and methamphetamine at the same place, time and date.

The court allowed Tunku Alang Reza bail of RM4,500 in one surety and Puteri Nur Zawani bail of RM3,000 and fixed Oct 31 for re-mention.

DPP Abu Arsaalna Zainal Abidin prosecuted while both of the accused were represented by counsel Datin Raj Preet Kaur. — Bernama