Both Malaysia and Singapore have exceptionally strict penalties for drug offences. Offenders found guilty may incur life imprisonment or death penalty.
On Monday (15 Nov), a Malaysian in Singapore, Munusamy Ramarmuth was sentenced to death for trafficking 57.54g of heroin back in 2018.
The 39-year-old Malaysian has worked as a cleaning supervisor in Singapore for 14 years.
57.54g of Heroin found
According to Singapore news outlet The Straits Time, Munusamy was found guilty by the High Court of Singapore last Wednesday (10 Nov).
Munusamy was found with 6.3kg of powdery substance on the rear box of his motorcycle at Keppel Bay Tower car park on 26 Jan 2018.
Read also: I Was In SG Jail When I Was 19 And It Was Hell On Earth. But It Did Not Break My Spirit
Analysis later confirmed that the substance found contained 57.54 gram of heroin.
As per Singapore’s drug control law, the convicted faces a death penalty for those trafficking more than 15g of heroin.
‘Didn’t know what’s inside the bag’
During his trial, Munusamy claimed that the bag of goods were placed by his friend Saravanan who told him that it contained stolen mobile phones.
Saravanan then instructed him to wait for a ‘Boy’ to collect it, adding that the items in the bag were ‘panas’.
While Munusamy may not know the contents in the bag, he was aware that Saravanan was involved in drug activities.
Judge: ‘Story was made up’
However, Justice Audrey Lim ruled that Munusamy’s story was made up as he claimed that he know the bag contained drugs when he was in at Woodlands Checkpoint.
As reported by The Straits Time, Justice Audrey Lim discredited Munusamy’s claim of being unaware of the contents in the bag.
The High Court judge also penned a 42-page written judgement to explain her decision to convict Munusamy and sentenced him to death.
As the prosecution did not issue him with a certificate of substantive assistance… I passed the mandatory death sentence on him,” said Justice Lim.
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