Singaporean man arrested with $43,000 worth of drugs, could face death penalty

SINGAPORE - A 38-year-old Singaporean man was arrested on Tuesday (Dec 3) after drugs worth about $43,000 were found on him, including 385g of Ice which could see the death penalty imposed.

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said on Tuesday that its officers arrested the suspected drug trafficker near Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 when he was getting off a private-hire car, after they spotted him meeting another man in a Teck Whye Avenue carpark.

The other man, which CNB later established to be a 31-year-old Malaysian, was also arrested near Woodlands Circle.

CNB said its officers found about 385g of Ice, 32g of heroin, 100 Ecstasy tablets, 50 Erimin-5 tablets and a small amount of cannabis on the Singaporean man.

"385g of Ice is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 220 abusers for a week," CNB said. He was also found to be in possession of a knife.

The Malaysian man had on him $5,300 in cash when he was arrested.

Under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA), the death penalty could be imposed if a person is found to be in possession of more than 250g of Ice. Anyone with more than 25g of Ice will also be presumed to be trafficking the drug unless proven otherwise.

The 32g of heroin found on him is also in excess of the 30g provided under the MDA that could lead to the death penalty.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.