S'porean alleged drug trafficker, 32, deported from Thailand & faced death penalty in S'pore, released after charges suspended

A 32-year-old Singaporean man who was deported from Thailand and was facing the death penalty in Singapore for alleged drug trafficking is set to be released from remand after prosecutors applied for a discharge not amounting to acquittal on Sep. 8.

This means that charges are temporarily suspended but the man, Benny Kee Soon Chuan, can still be prosecuted for the same offence if the charges are re-filed.

Discharge not amounting to acquittal

On Sep. 8, the prosecution applied for a discharge not amounting to acquittal for Kee.

When asked about this decision, Kee's lawyer said his client "is innocent", CNA reported.

He also said Kee is "very grateful to be reunited with his family".

Mothership has reached out to CNB and AGC on why prosecutors sought a discharge not amounting to acquittal.

Was charged for drug trafficking

Kee, 32, had been charged with conspiring with Low En Quan Justin to traffic methamphetamine (Ice) in Singapore in December 2020, when Kee himself was overseas.

If found guilty of trafficking more than 250g of drugs, Kee could have been sentenced to death.

Charge sheets seen by Mothership showed that on Dec. 2, 2020, a parcel with 12 packets inside, that contained a total of no less than 2,007.1g of Ice, entered Singapore.

The parcel was delivered to a "Senthil Kumar" at a shop at Orchard Towers.

The same day, Kee allegedly directed Low to collect the parcel at the shop for the purposes of trafficking, which Low did in the afternoon.

Low himself pleaded guilty to trying to traffic not less than 249.99g of Ice, a capital charge.

However, this was later amended to a 22-and-a-half year jail sentence and 15 strokes of the cane.

Deported from Thailand

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said that Kee was allegedly involved in Low's case and another drug trafficking case in November 2022.

He allegedly supplied drugs to associates in Singapore, to be subsequently sold and trafficked in the country.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant against Kee, but immigration records revealed that he had fled Singapore on Apr. 11, 2016.

Kee was arrested by Thai authorities in September 2024, before being deported to Singapore and handed over to CNB.

Kee was subsequently placed in remand from Sep. 20, 2024.

Prior to his arrest, he had been living in luxury in Thailand's Samut Prakan province, with authorities seizing a luxury car, gold ornaments, luxury watches and bags from his rented house, Thai media reported.

Top image from CNB/Google Photos