Singapore | Man, 73, gets heroin trafficking death sentence appeal dismissed, judge rejects claim he didn't know he was carrying drugs

The judges argued he would be aware that the job involved something dangerous or illegal, because he was "accustomed to criminal activities".

A 73-year-old Singaporean man was unsuccessful in appealing against his conviction and sentence for drug trafficking in 2019.

Previously, Low Sze Song and his accomplice, 37-year-old Malaysian national Sivaprakash Krishnan, were each found guilty of trafficking at least 43.2g of pure heroin, exceeding the 15g threshold for the mandatory death penalty under Singapore law.

After a trial, they were both sentenced to death on Apr. 14, 2023.

In January 2026, both men appealed their conviction and sentence, asserting that they did not know at the time that they were delivering drugs — claims that were also made and rejected during the trial.

However, the Court of Appeal agreed with the trial judge's arguments and ruled to dismiss their appeals, according to judgement dated May 19.

Did he know he was carrying drugs?

On May 30, 2019, Sivaprakash passed Low a white plastic bag at a bus-stop along Sumang Walk, and Low gave him S$9,000 cash in exchange.

The judges at the Court of Appeal noted Low's contention that he did not know that the white plastic bag contained drugs because the question of what it held never arose in his mind.

The judges did not accept this, asserting that being indifferent to what he is carrying does not necessarily mean that he believed he was carrying something other than drugs.

Low did not provide evidence to show why he did not take "steps that an ordinary reasonable person would have taken" to find out what was in the plastic bag.

He had the ready means and opportunity to look inside it, the judges said.

Paid to deliver drugs

There were also suspicious circumstances surrounding a transaction between Low and a friend before he met Sivaprakash that day, the judges pointed out.

This friend paid Low S$500 for "a relatively simple task" of passing S$9,000 in cash to Sivaprakash.

During his trial, Low claimed the S$500 was a loan, but the trial judge found that it was payment for making the drug delivery — a judgement the Court of Appeal agreed with.

According to the judges, Low argued that S$500 was not a highly suspicious amount to him, and "it would make no sense for him to be involved in drug trafficking for this small amount".

He highlighted that his past criminal activities, which concerned less serious offences, involved "far larger amounts of money".

He also claimed he had declined a legitimate job at a petrol kiosk after his release from prison in July 2018 because the pay offered was too low.

Given this, it would be "entirely illogical" to suggest that he would knowingly accept "extreme criminal risk for small amounts", he argued.

'Not a simpleton'

The judges did not accept this argument, believing that S$500 would be enticing to Low given his financial circumstances at the time.

In May 2019, Low had been released from prison less than a year earlier, did not have a regular monthly income, and had only S$600 with him.

He needed money for his gambling habit, and he could not pay the rent for his flat, the judges added.

They argued that Low would likely have known that the offer of S$500 for "such a simple job" involved something dangerous or illegal, otherwise it would have appeared to him to be too good to be true.

"Mr Low was not a simpleton," the judges said. "He was a 66-year-old man accustomed to criminal activities."

They ultimately agreed with the trial judge on the convictions for both Low and Sivaprakash, and dismissed their appeals, upholding the death penalty.

Previous crimes

Low was involved in a series of robberies in 1991.

He and two accomplices robbed six people at Cuppage Plaza car park, making off with valuables totalling S$3,153.

The next day, he and one of the accomplices robbed a gold jewellery store on North Bridge Road.

In 2001, Low was arrested and convicted of armed robbery in Malaysia, where he was sentenced to 18 years' jail. After he was deported back to Singapore, he was sentenced again to seven years in jail.

Source: mothership.sg, Xueting Wu, May 20, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde

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