Stateless man, 79, hanged in S'pore for heroin trafficking

A 79-year-old stateless man convicted of trafficking heroin was hanged in Singapore on Aug. 7 (Friday).

According to a statement by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), he was accorded full due process under the law, and was represented by legal counsel during trial and appeal.

His petitions to the President for clemency were unsuccessful.

Arrested in January 2020

On Jan. 14, 2020, Teo Yiu Kin Tee, then 72, was arrested near the junction of Bendeemer Road and Geylang Bahru Road.

He was unemployed at the time.

CNB found 845g of substances, including diamorphine (heroin) and "Ice", as well as cash amounting to S$5,350 in his possession.

After analysis, the substances were found to contain not less than 24.81g of pure diamorphine.

Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, the death penalty is imposed if the amount of diamorphine trafficked is more than 15 grams.

Claimed they were for consumption, not sale

During the trial in 2023, Teo initially claimed that the drugs were entirely for his own consumption rather than for sale.

He alleged that he was a chronic and heavy user of diamorphine, and had purchased the drug in bulk to secure a lower price.

But the High Court rejected Teo's consumption defence, finding his claimed rate of consumption to be medically and financially implausible.

His unemployment at the time also raised questions about his ability to fund a "bulk buy" of the drugs, which were worth thousands of dollars.

Teo was eventually convicted of his charges and sentenced to the mandatory death penalty.

CNB said in its statement that capital punishment is imposed only for the most serious crimes, such as the trafficking of significant quantities of drugs.

Such offences result in very serious harm, not just to individual drug abusers, but also to their families and the wider society.

Top image via CNB & Singapore Prison Services