Singaporean deported from Thailand charged with drug trafficking, faces death penalty

Benny Kee Soon Chuan was allegedly living a life of luxury in Thailand when local authorities arrested him and handed him over to Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau.

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man wanted for alleged links to two cases of drug trafficking was handed a capital charge on Friday (Sep 20), after being deported to Singapore from Thailand.

Benny Kee Soon Chuan, 31, is accused of conspiring with Low En Quan Justin to traffic in methamphetamine sometime in early December 2020, when Kee was not in Singapore.

The alleged conspiracy involved a parcel that had entered Singapore, containing 12 packets of at least 2kg of meth meant for delivery to a "Senthil Kumar" at a shop in Orchard Towers.

Kee is accused of directing Low to collect the parcel at the shop, with Low picking it up between 3.40pm and 6.40pm on Dec 2, 2020.

Low, 21, was later handed a capital charge. It was subsequently amended and he pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to traffic at least 249.99g of meth. He was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years' jail and 15 strokes of the cane for his involvement.

Kee was allegedly linked to another drug trafficking case in November 2022, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said in a statement on Thursday.

A 29-year-old man linked to this case was sentenced to eight years' jail with seven strokes of the cane.

However, Kee remained at large for several years. Immigration records showed that he was out of Singapore since April 2016, CNB said.

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

Kee was arrested by Thai authorities on Sep 17 and deported to Singapore, landing in CNB's custody on Sep 19.

Thai media reported that Kee was tracked down to a residence in Samut Prakan province, south of Bangkok, where he was "living in luxury".

The media outlets said Thai authorities had acted after a tip-off from CNB, citing the head of Thailand's drug enforcement agency.

Kee had allegedly sent drugs such as Ice, ketamine and ecstasy from Thailand to Singapore and Australia via international mail.

The Bangkok Post reported assets worth 15 million baht (US$453,000) were also seized from the man, who is believed to have entered Thailand on a Vanuatu passport.

Rolex watches, gold chains, rings, amulets and cash in various currencies were among the items seized, as seen in photos of the arrest.

A Singapore court ordered Kee to be remanded on Friday, with permission to be taken out for investigations.

He will return to court on Sep 26.

If convicted of conspiring to traffic in a Class A controlled drug, Kee can be sentenced to death.

Source: channelnewsasia.com, Staff, September 20, 2024

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