Man accused of drug trafficking faces death penalty if convicted
A man allegedly involved with trafficking at least 2kg of methamphetamine was charged on Sept 20 after he was deported from Thailand, where he was living, and handed over to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) the day before.
Singaporean Benny Kee Soon Chuan, 31, who appeared in court via video link, was handed one charge of trafficking a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Offenders convicted of trafficking, importing or exporting more than 250g of methamphetamine may face the death penalty.
During the hearing, the prosecution applied for Kee to be remanded for a week for investigators to conduct scene visits, trace accomplices and establish the source of drugs.
According to court documents, Kee was allegedly outside Singapore when he engaged with a man named Justin Low En Quan in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, also known as Ice.
On Dec 2, 2020, a parcel of 12 packets containing at least 2.9kg of a crystalline substance entered Singapore. The substance was said to have contained at least 2kg of methamphetamine.
Charge sheets stated that the parcel was to be delivered to a man, identified as Senthil Kumar, at a shop in Orchard Towers.
It further read that Kee allegedly directed Low to collect the parcel at the shop, intending for the latter to possess the 12 packets of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking.
On Dec 2, 2020, between 3.40pm an 6.40pm, Low was said to have gone to the shop and collected the parcel.
In a statement on Sept 19, CNB said Kee’s alleged involvement was uncovered during investigations into two drug trafficking cases in December 2020 and November 2022.
The offenders in these cases, a 21-year-old and a 29-year-old, were charged and convicted of trafficking substantial amounts of methamphetamine.
The 21-year-old was sentenced to 22 years and six months’ jail with 15 strokes of the cane, while the 29-year-old was sentenced to eight years’ jail and seven strokes of the cane.
An arrest warrant was issued against Kee for his suspected involvement in supplying drugs to associates in Singapore for subsequent trafficking and sale in Singapore, said CNB.
Immigration records showed that Kee had left Singapore in April 2016. CNB thus reached out to its foreign counterparts for information on his whereabouts.
On Sept 17, Kee was arrested by the authorities in Thailand. He was deported and subsequently handed over to CNB on Sept 19.
Investigations into other members of the syndicate are ongoing.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now