Singapore executes third prisoner in 2 weeks for drug trafficking

By EILEEN NG
Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Singapore has executed a third prisoner in two weeks for drug trafficking, despite calls for the city-state to halt capital punishment for drug-related crimes. The Central Narcotics Bureau said Mohamed Shalleh Abdul Latiff was hanged Thursday after being accorded due process under the law. It said the 39-year-old Singaporean was sentenced to death for trafficking 1.9 ounces of heroin. The bureau says that amount is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 640 users for a week. Anti-death penalty advocates say Shalleh maintained during his trial that he thought he was delivering contraband cigarettes for a friend to whom he owed money. Singapore has executed 16 people for drug offences since it resumed hangings in March 2022.