After his appeal against his conviction and sentence was dismissed by the Apex Court on Tuesday (Oct 12), a man who imported 1kg of cannabis from Malaysia into Singapore three years ago faces the death penalty.

According to Channel News Asia, Singapore’s highest court dismissed a man’s appeal against his conviction and death sentence for allegedly importing cannabis weighing at least 1 kilogram into the city-state from Malaysia.

Officers stated three bundles of the narcotic were found in Omar Yacob Bamadhaj’s car during a routine stop by police at a border checkpoint in 2018. He was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging in February. His father, who was also in the car, was not aware of the narcotics, according to the court, and was not charged.

The goods were allegedly obtained by Bamadhaj from two friends, Din and Latif. Bamadhaj initially stated that he consented to transport the items, but later stated that he had no idea what was inside. Bamadhaj claimed that authorities from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) forced him to confess by threatening him, saying, “If you refuse to admit to this, I will hang both you and your father.”

Hundreds of people, including dozens of foreigners, have been hanged as a result of the country’s zero-tolerance narcotics policy. Singapore has some of the strictest drug prohibitions in the world. Possession of small amounts of drugs carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison or a fine of up to $20,000(R297,088.39), or both. The penalties for drug trafficking are significantly harsher.

You should also be aware that Singapore has strict laws and penalties in place for a variety of actions or activities that may not be illegal in South Africa or may be considered minor offences, such as jaywalking, littering, spitting, smoking in public places, and the importation or sale of chewing gum.