Indian-origin man gets 13 years jail for possessing cannabis in Singapore

Singapore, Jan 10 (IANS) An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to 13 years in jail and 10 strokes of the cane for possessing 523.6g of cannabis for trafficking in Singapore.

Narkkeeran Arasan, 45, who pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking controlled drugs, admitted during the probe that he was facing financial stress and wanted to sell cannabis to get fast cash, The Straits Times reported.

The Central Narcotics Bureau acted on information received and arrested Narkkeeran in Woodlands while he was a passenger in a Grab car on April 12, 2021.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tessa Tan said during the search of the car a block of vegetable matter wrapped in several layers of plastic which was taped up was found in the bag.

In July 2021, Health Sciences Authority after analysis certified that the vegetable matter was cannabis weighing at least 523.6g.

At least 413.6g of fragmented vegetable matter from the same block was also found to contain cannabinol and tetrahydrocannabinol, a cannabinol derivative.

"The mixture of vegetable matter (stated) above, weighing not less than 937.2g, was therefore cannabis mixture," Tan was quoted as saying in the paper.

The court was told that Narkkeeran ordered one "book of cannabis", which he understood to mean 1 kg in weight, on April 11, 2021, from a contact known to him as "R and R".

He paid $3,000 for it, the paper reported.

An offender may be jailed for between five and 20 years, and may receive between five and 15 strokes of the cane for possessing at least 329.99g of cannabis for trafficking.