Singapore | Ex-business owner arrested in Malaysia, charged with drug trafficking

SINGAPORE - A former business owner, who was wanted for drug trafficking and subsequently arrested in Malaysia in March, was charged with the offence in a Singapore district court on Monday.

Appearing in court via video link, Singaporean Lian Hoe Heng, 56, will face the death sentence if convicted of the offence.

A search with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority reveals that Lian used to own Chuan Hup Seng Tentage Construction and Long Seng Chairs & Tables Rental Enterprise.

In an earlier statement, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said he had been out of Singapore since Nov 19, 2018.

On or around Oct 7, 2020, Lian was out of the country when he allegedly instructed another man, identified as Tan Guosheng, 26, to possess at least 253g of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking.

After that, Tan, who is also a Singaporean, was allegedly found with the drugs in front of a house in Jalan Selamat, near Taman Kembangan.

He was charged with drug trafficking in court earlier and his case is pending.

CNB said in its statement that Lian’s alleged involvement in the case was uncovered after Tan’s arrest.

The agency then reached out to its foreign counterparts for information on his whereabouts.

The Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) of the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) arrested Lian on March 31, 2023.

He was handed over to CNB on Sunday.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Leon Chan, deputy director of CNB for operations, said: “Drug traffickers thinking to evade (Singapore’s) law enforcement by hiding overseas will find that there is no safe haven.

“CNB and NCID/RMP enjoy a close working relationship, as we work towards the common aim of keeping both our countries free from the scourge of drugs. We thank our Malaysian counterparts for the cooperation to bring the suspect back to Singapore to face the law.”

Lian’s case has been adjourned to next Monday.

Source: straitstimes.com, Staff, April 17, 2023

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