Suspected drug trafficker whose charge was withdrawn arrested under law allowing detention without trial
Singaporean Benny Kee Soon Chuan had been deported from Thailand to face a capital drug charge, which was later withdrawn.
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SINGAPORE: A man whose drug trafficking charge was recently withdrawn has been held under a law that allows for detention without trial.
Benny Kee Soon Chuan had been deported from Thailand to face a capital drug charge in Singapore. After the prosecution applied for a discharge not amounting to acquittal on Sep 8, the 32-year-old's lawyer said he was expected to be released from remand.
Drug offences are typically prosecuted under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
In Kee's case, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Friday (Sep 26) that it invoked the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act (CLTPA) "as a last resort".
It is used in situations where prosecution is not viable, said MHA. These include instances where witnesses are unwilling to testify in court for fear of reprisal against them or their family members, which is the situation in Kee's case, added the ministry.
Kee was arrested under the CLTPA on Sep 8, on the same day that he was granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal.
A detention order under CLTPA was issued on Sep 22, said MHA.
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Kee’s involvement in drug trafficking activities in Singapore was uncovered during the Central Narcotics Bureau’s investigation into two separate drug trafficking cases in December 2020 and November 2022.
MHA said the accused in those cases, two Singaporeans aged 21 and 29 at the time of arrest, were separately charged for trafficking in substantial amounts of methamphetamine.
The 21-year-old was eventually convicted and sentenced to 22 years and six months' imprisonment with 15 strokes of the cane, while the 29-year-old was convicted and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment with seven strokes of the cane.
An arrest warrant was issued against Kee for his suspected involvement in supplying drugs to the 21-year-old and 29-year-old, for their subsequent trafficking and sale in Singapore.
CNB then reached out to its foreign counterparts as immigration records showed that Kee had been out of the country since Apr 11, 2016.
He was subsequently arrested by the Thai authorities in September last year and deported back to Singapore that same month. Thai media reported that Kee was "living in luxury" in Samut Prakan province, south of Bangkok.
Kee was charged in court on Sep 20, 2024, for the offence of engaging in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine in Singapore.
On Sep 8 this year, the prosecution applied for the charge to be given a discharge not amounting to acquittal. Such a discharge allows the prosecution to reopen the case under the same charge if new evidence emerges.
“Investigations revealed that from at least late-2020, Kee was involved in a drug trafficking syndicate in Thailand, and was instrumental in the supply and distribution of drugs in Singapore,” MHA said on Friday.
“He would receive orders via Telegram, collate these orders, and then arrange for the drugs to be exported to Singapore, where it would be received and distributed by his associates.”
MHA said it takes a zero-tolerance approach to drug trafficking in Singapore.
“We will not hesitate to take tough action to suppress such activities, and traffickers should not believe that they can get away just by being out of Singapore, or by intimidating witnesses.”
