A delivery driver in Singapore, Mohamed Shalleh Abdul Latiff, is set to be executed on 3 August, after being found guilty of delivering drugs and sentenced to death in 2019.
Arrested for Drug Trafficking
The chain of events leading to Mohamed Shalleh’s arrest began in 2016 when he was apprehended by the authorities. On that day, a Malaysian man named Khairul Nizam Ramthan handed him three irregular bundles wrapped in brown paper in exchange for S$7,000, according to The Straits Times
Mohamed Shalleh, without inspecting the contents, believed he was delivering contraband cigarettes for his friend ‘Bai’ to repay his debt.
The bundles Shalleh transported turned out to contain approximately 54g of diamorphine, commonly known as heroin.
Throughout the trial, Mohamed Shalleh maintained that he had a strong trust in his friend ‘Bai’ and didn’t feel the need to verify the bundle’s contents.
However, the court cast doubt on this claim, as he did not know basic details about ‘Bai,’ including his real name. This lack of familiarity raised suspicions about the level of trust Mohamed Shalleh had placed in ‘Bai.’
In an attempt to defend himself, Mohamed Shalleh alleged that he had left the bundles inside a plastic bag and did not see them.
However, CNB’s senior staff sergeant, Tay Keng Chye, testified that he found the bundles beside the plastic bag, exposed on the car’s floorboard. This contradiction in testimony added complexity to the case.
High Court Judge Hoo Sheau Peng, after carefully evaluating the evidence and the testimonies, concluded that Mohamed Shalleh failed to justify his high level of trust in ‘Bai.’
The court found it unlikely that a delivery driver would proceed with a deal involving drugs without visually verifying the bundle’s contents.
Shalleh’s upcoming execution marks another execution of a death row inmate in Singapore, following the execution of a 45-year-old Singaporean woman yesterday and a 57-year-old Singaporean man on 6 July for drug trafficking.