Narcotics Unit inspector Luther Nurjib of Dang Wangi police was alleged to have peddled drugs in the course of his undercover investigations of an Australian man who was charged for trafficking methamphetamine.

In a sudden twist to Perth man Dominic Bird's trial yesterday, defence lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah drew High Court judge Kamardin Hashim's attention to the fact that the inspector had allegedly using his undercover work to sell drugs.

Shafee told the court that Nurjib acknowledged he had taken RM1,200 from an informant which he used to buy a five gram sample of methamphetamine from Bird during his undercover operations.

dominic bird Australian Bird ( right ) is facing a possible death sentence in Malaysia under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drug Act for trafficking 167 grams of methamphetamine.

He was arrested by a police team led by Nurjib in sting operation on March 1 in a coffee house along Jalan Yap Kwan Seng in Kuala Lumpur.

Nurjib admitted in court to selling the drugs bought from Bird to his informant.

Asked by Shafee whether the informant had played a "key role'' in the alleged drug deal, the police officer replied: "Correct."

Shafee: When you took the RM1,200, did the informer know you would give him the five grams?

Nurjib: Correct.

Shafee: You confirm on this day you bought the drugs and sold them to the informer?

Nurjib: Correct.

'Abuse in the worst form'

Shafee has sought to demolish Nurjib's credibility during the trial. He repeatedly asked why Nurjib had pressured Bird to supply a higher quantity of the drugs.

In the course of the proceedings, Nurjib admitted to having faced disciplinary action in the past for having stolen a Rolex watch from a suspect in another criminal case.

NONE "The way (the police) behave with informants is so loose,'' Shafee told outside the court. "He took the money from the informer who may be a drug trafficker himself.

"So a police officer is dealing with a drug trafficker in order, according to him, to fix another drug trafficker.''

Shafee ( left ) said there were also now questions over the possibility of more widespread corruption in certain sectors of the police force.

"It's abuse in the worst form in an anti-narcotic unit,'' he said.

The trial was adjourned to Feb 13.

M KRISHNAMOORTHY is a freelance journalist and local coordinator for CNN, BBC and several other foreign television networks. He was formerly a journalist with The Star and New Straits Times and has authored four books.