Singapore hangs 79-year-old stateless man convicted of heroin trafficking, Singapore News

Teo was later seen carrying a blue plastic bag that had been handed to him by Yogesswaran. CNB officers then moved in to arrest Teo, while Yogesswaran was arrested shortly afterwards at a nearby car park.

The plastic bag which Teo was carrying had two bundles inside, which contained 837g of powdery substance.

Subsequent testing by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) indicated that the substance yielded not less than 24.81g of pure diamorphine (heroin). 

The amount exceeds the 15g threshold that triggers the mandatory death penalty under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

The trial

At the trial, Teo admitted to receiving the bag but contended that the drugs were for his personal consumption. 

Teo’s claim was that he had purchased the drugs in bulk to secure a lower price and to ensure a steady supply for his habit.

However, the court found that this claim was undermined by his unemployment and the discovery of items associated with drug trafficking at his residence.

In his judgement, Justice Jeyaretnam also found Teo’s claim of being a chronic and heavy user of heroin — consuming 12 to 15 grams of granular diamorphine daily — to be “inherently incredible”.

CNB said in its statement that capital punishment is imposed only for the most serious crimes, such as the trafficking of significant quantities of drugs. Such offences cause serious harm not only to drug abusers, but also to their families and the wider society, the bureau said.

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editor@asiaone.com