Metro founder’s grandson says he smoked cannabis ‘every day’
Ong Jenn, grandson of the founder of Metro, who is charged with trafficking cannabis, arriving at the State Courts on Feb 3, 2017. Photo: Robin Choo/TODAY
SINGAPORE — The grandson of Metro Holding’s founder, who is facing charges for abetting another man to traffic in cannabis, appeared in a district court on Friday (Feb 3) to defend himself.
Ong Jenn, who was arrested on Oct 31, 2014 and charged the next day, told an anti-narcotics officer that the controlled drugs in question were for his “personal consumption”, the court heard.
“Yes, I only smoked weed yesterday at home before sleeping and I smoke weed every day,” he said in his statement to the officer.
The 41-year-old — whose grandfather Ong Tjoe Kim founded retail giant Metro, which has three department stores in Singapore and nine in Indonesia — is contesting two charges of conspiring with Mohamad Ismail Abdul Majid to traffic in two blocks of cannabis mixture weighing 92.68g and 385.1g.
Ismail, sentenced to 22 years’ jail and 18 strokes of the cane in September 2015, had pleaded guilty to three drug-related charges after he was found with those two blocks of cannabis on Oct 30, 2014 along Jurong Port Road.
In Ong’s statement to the officer, he said that the S$2,000 cash seized from him during his arrest was meant to pay someone he referred to as “Mike” for two blocks of “weed”, a slang term for cannabis.
He admitted that he had bought “weed” more than 15 times from “Mike”.
The court heard that “Mike” is Ismail, and it was through him that the police traced their way to Ong.
Ong was arrested when he was on the way to meet “Mike” for his regular dose of “weed”, the court was told.
During the trial on Friday, the prosecution called upon six witnesses, including officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau, Health Sciences Authority and the investigating officer of the case.
In cross-examining investigating officer Adam Ismail, Ong’s defence lawyer Tan Chee Meng asked if every drug buyer is alleged to be conspiring in drug trafficking. “Is it your case that the act of buying the drug from Mike amounts to abetment … These two charges don’t need to involve third parties, as long as he purchases, he is guilty of trafficking?” Mr Tan asked.
Mr Adam replied: “Simply put, yes. But on the finer points of the law, I cannot say.”
If convicted, Ong faces up to five to 20 years’ jail, and between five and 15 strokes of the cane for each charge.
Another six drug-related charges were stood down for this trial to be heard later.
The trial continues on Feb 20, when Ismail is expected to testify against Ong.
