A man of Indian descent was sentenced to 13 years in prison and 10 strokes of the cane on Monday for illegally possessing cannabis with the intention of trafficking in Singapore.
Narkkeeran Arasan, 45, said in court that he had “financial hardship” in 2021 and had turned to selling cannabis for “fast cash.” He was caught by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) while riding in a Grab car with 329.99 g of the restricted substance that he had obtained from a drain in Marsiling with the aim of selling it for a profit.
On April 11, 2021, Arasan paid SGD 3,000 (USD 2,249.96) to a person he only knew as “R and R” for a book of cannabis, which he took to indicate 1 kg in weight.
The CNB officers acting on information they had received, apprehended Arasan close to the intersection of Woodlands Avenue 9. When they inspected the vehicle, they found a black Coach bag inside of which was a block of vegetables wrapped with plastic and tape on April 12.
According to the prosecution, he was admitted to a drug rehab facility in 2019 for drug use. A person convicted of cannabis trafficking faces a sentence of five to six years in prison for up to 99.1g of the drug and between 13 and 15 years for 297.2 to 329.9g.
Possession of a Class A controlled substance with the intent to distribute it involves a sentence of at least five years in prison and five strokes of the cane and up to 20 years in prison and 15 strokes of the cane.
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