Singapore: man sentenced to death for 1 kilo of cannabis

A 41-year-old man was sentenced to death in Singapore after being found guilty of importing at least one kilogram of marijuana into the country in 2018. His appeal was denied early last week.

According to Channel News Asia, Omar Yacob Bamadhaj traveled with his father to Malaysia in July 2018 to buy groceries and attend evening prayers at a mosque. He then dropped his father off at his younger brother’s school and continued shopping.

At a car wash, he met two acquaintances identified as Din and Latif. Prosecutors argued that this was a prearranged meeting, but Bamadhaj’s attorney argued that it was not intentional, and Bamadhaj stated that he did not know that three packages wrapped in aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and newspaper had been placed in the trunk of the car.

Bamadhaj reportedly told the officers a different story on the day of his arrest, stating that he had agreed to transport the packages for €400 per package. He also stated that he knew they contained cannabis and that he had initially hesitated, but had decided to agree to the request because he was in desperate need of money.

In subsequent statements, Bamadhaj denied knowing that the packages contained cannabis and that they had been placed in his vehicle without his consent.

On his return to Singapore, with his father behind the wheel, the vehicle was inspected at the Woodlands checkpoint, where officers found the cannabis. Bamadhaj stated that an officer from the Central Narcotics Bureau had threatened him and told him that he and his father would be hanged if he did not admit to importing the drugs.

When asked about his conflicting statements, Bamadhaj said he was under the influence of marijuana at the time of his arrest and that he was «not in the right frame of mind.».

After a period of deliberation, the appeal was denied, with the judges stating that they were convinced the trial court had carefully considered the case.

Ziggy Marley, the son of Rita and Bob Marley, criticized the decision, pointing out that no one should have to die because of a plant.

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Singapore has some of the strictest drug laws in the world. Possession or use of cannabis in the country is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, in addition to fines and caning. Trafficking more than 500 grams can result in the death penalty.

At the beginning of the year, a Canadian who had attempted to enter the country with a vape pen was imprisoned for 16 weeks. The 29-year-old man works in Singapore and had received the pen-style spray as a gift from a friend after a trip to Canada. He attempted to hide it inside a deodorant bottle upon his return to Singapore.

In determining the sentence, the judge noted that the court needed to «send the right message, namely that those who bring controlled drugs into Singapore—even if their possession is legal elsewhere—will not be let off with just a slap on the wrist.»

In 2019, Singapore very slightly relaxed its stance on medical cannabis to allow a young girl with epilepsy to access CBD, a decision which required approval from four different government agencies.