Singaporean drug trafficker executed at Changi Prison for heroin offence

Convicted drug trafficker Muhammad Ridzuan Md Ali was hanged on Friday (May 19) at Changi Prison. ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG

SINGAPORE - Singaporean drug trafficker Muhammad Ridzuan Md Ali, 31, was executed at Changi Prison on Friday (May 19), having exhausted all avenues of appeal following his conviction in 2013.

Ridzuan had been found guilty in the High Court of trafficking in 72.50 grams of pure heroin and sentenced to death by the High Court on April 10, 2013.

The Misuse of Drugs Act provides for the death penalty if the amount of diamorphine trafficked is more than 15 grams.

The Central Narcotics Bureau said yesterday that 72.50 grams of diamorphine is equivalent to about 6,004 straws, which is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 864 abusers for a week.

"This is estimated using a typical purity level of four per cent, based on drug seizures in recent years. The number of straws made may vary according to the purity level of the heroin," added CNB.

His appeal against conviction and sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on Feb 27, 2014 but in April that year, Ridzuan sought leave from the High Court to start judicial review proceedings against the Public Prosecutor's decision not to grant him a certificate of substantive assistance.

The High Court dismissed the application on July 17, 2014 and in Oct 2015, the Court of Appeal rejected his appeal.

On Jan 8, 2016, Ridzuan took his case to the Court of Appeal for the third time by way of a criminal motion for the Court of Appeal to review its decisions on his appeals, on grounds that the Misuse of Drugs Act provisions under which he was sentenced to death were unconstitutional.

The apex court dismissed the criminal motion on Dec 2, 2016. He submitted a petition for clemency to the President which was unsuccessful.

"Muhammad Ridzuan was accorded full due process under the law, and he was represented by legal counsel throughout the process," said the CNB.

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