Landing Helicopter On Field To Take Rice Cannabis, This Pilot Threatened By Jail For Three Years

JAKARTA - The pilot who landed his helicopter in an open field in Ipoh in July last year, reportedly to collect packages of nasi kandar, was charged in court on Monday for failing to comply with his flight path.

Malaysia's Bernama News Agency reported that the pilot identified as Mohamed Raffe K. Chekku was charged with the offense between 09:50 and 10:00 local time on 23 July 2021.

Mohamed Raffe, who is also the director of the company, pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against him.

Meanwhile, according to the indictment sheet, his actions violated Rule 77(2) of the 2016 Commercial Aviation Regulations.

Mohamed Raffe was judged to have failed to comply with the rules set out under the Civil Aviation Directive, when he landed the Bell 505 helicopter at a location other than the airport as stated in the flight plan.

If found guilty, Mohamed Raffe faces a fine of 50,000 Malaysian ringgit equivalent to 11,400 US dollars, or a jail term of three years or both.

It is known, The Star media reported that judge Jesseca Daimis set a bail of 5,000 Malaysian ringgit.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Raffe's lawyer has asked for bail on the amount, stating that his client has cooperated with the police investigation.

It is known, Perak police said they were investigating the case of a helicopter landing in the open field of Ipoh, to collect packages of popular nasi kandar for customers in Kuala Lumpur, in July 2021 ago.

The pilot is believed to have taken 36 packets of the nasi kandar dish, known as nasi marijuana.

The police have recorded the information from the Sector Police Chief who gave the green light, as well as the reporter, the owner of the restaurant and the owner of the helicopter company. Media reports citing police said the helicopter was only given permission to travel between states for maintenance.

Separately, Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported that Mohamed Raffe is the managing director of LATAR, the concession company that operates the Kuala Lumpur-Kuala Selangor Toll Road.

He was quoted by the portal as saying he was taken aback by the accusations against him as records show that his landing was carried out with the relevant Air Traffic Control (ATC) clearance.